Battle Grounds
by SecretWishX
Summary: After almost half a year, Hange has been working tirelessly to break Annie Leonhardt's crystal prison. She succeeds, and the Female Titan is tortured for information she refuses to give up. And then she is rescued by a masked group and spirited outside the walls by shockingly familiar faces, but is rescued really the right word when they just want to use her for something?
1. The Girl in the Crystal

**Hello, Reader-Chan. Let me apologize for my procrastination, stupidity, and failure to update. Please don't throw anything at me *ducks behind computer***

 **I realize, that now is the time to do what I have repeatedly promised. Update. Please forgive me.**

 **It is going to be the one year anniversary of my first actual, multiple chapter fanfiction. For months, I just didn't feel like writing. That was no excuse. I am sorry.**

 **Looking back over this fanfiction...I REALIZE HOW SUCKY MY WRITING WAS BACK THEN. I mean, seriously! These chapters are so short! My descriptions are horrible...but now, I resolve to show you how much my writing has improved. Thank you to everyone who had supported me. I will treasure your reviews forever, but now is the time for me to rewrite this whole thing. Thank you for bearing with me. Please enjoy.**

 **(My writing was so cringy back then…)**

"Annie Leonhardt."

The scientist stood in front of the crystal, her nose barely touching its cool surface. Her glasses were off, clutched in one of her hands. The other hand lay flat on the crystal itself.

"Why won't you just come out? None of your friends in training reported you to be a coward, but, of course, if I were you, and I knew what was in store for me, I'd stay in there forever."

She hung her head with a sigh.. It had been over five months since the girl had trapped herself.

"They said you always looked like you were bored. Is that true? Aren't your bored right now? Just...standing there. Doing nothing. Watching the guards change day in and day out. Watching their numbers decrease until there's never more than one. Or are you waiting until there's none at all?"

Hange waited for a reply like she always did. She had some suspicions that she was being heard. And, after all, if was common courtesy.

"Why won't you just come out?"

This time, her voice broke slightly, and she curled her hand on the surface of the crystal halfway into a fist.

"Things are bad now, don't you know? There's so many things you could tell us. We could make a deal…"

Hange stepped back, taking her hand from the crystal and swallowing. She out her glasses back on. The lenses fogged up slightly.

"See you tomorrow, Ms. Leonhardt. We'll get your secrets soon enough."

She said this as she walked out of the room, neither of the occupants believing them.

0~o~0

The past five months had changed Hange. She was more serious. Less likely to blurt out random facts and bother others. Some would say she was growing more sane. They were wrong. Hange knew she was failing and slowly descending toward insanity. Each failure the break the crystal was a blow to her heart. She was failing Eld, Gunther, Olou...Petra.

The only woman in Squad Levi had been quite close to the scientist. They talked long into the night, the day often ending with Petra finding Hange asleep in the most random places and then bringing her back to their room to be tucked in. The ginger haired soldier had a 'mother hen' disposition that Hange missed dearly.

Dragging one hand along the rough, stone wall, Hange made her way back to her room in the Survey Corp Headquarters. She opened the door and looked around to see that Levi had been in there recently. Her bed was made, empty plates and cups had been removed, and the countless papers had been stacked neatly by her worn, oak desk.

Hange took in a deep breath and looked out the window, registering that it was night. Or rather, it was early morning. She had stayed up this late enough times to know that dawn would break in a few hours.

There was one corner of the room that had not been cleaned. A few cansavses turned so whatever was painting on the front to them as facing the wall. Hange felt that intense wave of sadness wash over her again. She had been worried that Petra's appearance would escape her mind. Her head was so cluttered all the time. The scientist had painted Petra over and over again, but each painting was unfinished. Some were pencil sketches half painted in. Some were all painted for one feature. Eyes. Lips. Hair.

Hange shook her head, walking over to her desk and sitting down. She slid her gaze over the stacks of paper, each sheet holding a detailed plan for breaking the crystal.

The fire in her room was fed with failed plans alone.

She reached for a quill and some ink, ready to write today's entry for her journal. In a way, she had two journals. One was bound with leather and made of paper. The other was bound with ropes and chains and an unbreakable material. Talking to the girl in the crystal was one of the things that kept her from falling of the edge of sanity, however hard that was to believe. She found talking to the crystal comforting in the way one might be prompted to tell their secrets to a stranger.

She looked at the quill for a moment before setting it down. Filling in her journal could wait.

Two large chunks of crystal sat in the fire, nestled in the crackling embers like dragon eggs. They had been recovered from the fingers of the Female Titan that Mikasa Ackerman had sliced off. The rest of the crystal had immediately disintegrated along with the two titan forms. (Convenient but oh so infuriating!)

It had been a split second idea of Hange's to store what was left of the crystal in extremely high temperatures, which had surprisingly worked. Unlike titan flesh, the crystal was very heavy, and it took a lot of effort for Hange to lift one of the pieces out of the fire with a large, thick pair of iron clamps, wearing thick protective gloves. She set it on the metal tray on her desk, which was slightly burnt, and then dropped the tool onto the floor haphazardly.

Feeling the intense heat of the crystal from only a few feet away. The piece was roughly a foot and a half tall and over two feet around, clear with a blueish tint that shifted depending on the lighting.

Hange went through the motions of testing the crystal as she always did, using different tools to try and scratch its surface. As usual, she failed to do so. She removed the second chunk of crystal from the fire, setting it next to the first. This one was slightly smaller and was subjected to the same treatment.

Having expected nothing to happen, Hange didn't even sigh with disappointment. She lay one hand on the larger crystal, knowing that it would only be a few more minutes until she would have to place them back into the fire. Knowing that nothing would happen tonight, Hange used the iron hammer head to hit the larger crustal one last time.

She was rewarded with a high ping. The scientist sat straight up mouth hanging open and eyes widening slightly as she peered at the crystal. That sound. It was of a high pitch than usual. Looking down at the hammer, she hit the small crystal. It too made a high ping.

Hange's heart started beating faster in her chest. She felt like she was on the verge of some discovery. Three months, and nothing had happened. Three months, and she was rewarded with a high sound. What did it mean?

 _It's brittle,_ she realized. _The surface is brittle._

Her breath quickened. She had never done these tests so late at night. Could this be a common occurrence. Blood rushed in her ears. He heard her pounding heart as he mind raced.

 _ **Could this be happening to the actual crystal at this very moment?**_

Hange let out some sort of strangled cry as she stood suddenly, the chair behind her crashing to the ground. She was about to run from the room when she remembered the two specimens at her desk. She couldn't afford to leave them out of the fire.

Hurriedly, the scientist gripped one with her gloved hands, not caring as it burned her. She dropped it into the flames, not bothering to use the clamps. She then did the same with the other, dropping it nearly onto the first.

As she ran out of the room, Hange did not hear the sharp crack of crystal on crystal nor did she hear the small piece skitter out of the flames and onto the floor.

Her feet pounded down the corridor, most of the torches either burned out or burned low. The hallways were dark and shadowy, but Hange knew them by heart. She had paused to take one from its perch on the wall, and its flames now streamed behind her as she ran, lighting her path.

At last, she reached the cell, deep underground, fumbling with the key to unlock the steel door. The soldier on guard was asleep, leaning against the wall at an awkward angle with his mouth hanging open. Hange barely noticed as she burst through the door, stumbling into the room. She drops the torch behind her, its flame flaring once and then dimming. Shadows surrounded the scientist as she looks up at the crystal, heart beating like a rabbit's.

Hange raises the hammer and brings it down on the surface of the crystal. A high pitched sound resounds around the room. She drops the tool with a clang and steps back, bringing her hands to her head. It was weak. Weakening.

Regular tools would not break it, she knew, but there had to be another way. She had to record this. Immediately. Erwin. Levi. They would have to now. This discovery might not mean anything, but it was a discovery nevertheless. A change. Something to show to the other branches of the military for the past three months.

"You aren't invincible," Hange whispers, her glasses shining in the dimming light.

Not bothering to pick up the torch or hammer, Hange dashes out of the cell, the guard outside oblivious to her, and she oblivious to him.

The scientist reaches her room and skids inside, already thinking the words she will write in her journal, already thinking of what she will tell Erwin and Levi. That's when she saw the glint on the floor. The glint of a small piece of crystal barely four inches long and rapidly disintegrating. Bits of ash and dying embers were scattered around it, evidence that the small chunk had came from the fire.

Hange froze for a moment, her mind trying to grasp what had happened. She crouched next to it, her hand shakily nearing the chunk of crystal. It wasn't hot, but warm. She grasped it quickly and set it into the flames, peering through the fire to see where it had broken off. She gasped.

The bigger crystal had fallen on top of the smaller one due to her carelessness and excitement. The smaller one had a jagged crack running down its side where a piece of it had broken off.

Hange sat there for a few moments, frozen. She was seeing but not believing. This was impossible. She had stumbled upon a solution by accident. Five months of sleepless nights and overwhelming stress. Five months of testing ways to break the crystal and get to the girl inside. Five months of failure.

Crystal could break crystal. This was the solution.

Hange swallowed once and got to her feet as if a trance, not yet daring to leap into the air and jump for joy, but she could not argue with the evidence in front of her. One of the pieces had broken. She had found the answer by accident.

0~o~0

A deep sound reverberated through the cell. There was a pause, and then it sounded again. This pattern repeated itself over and over and had been doing so for the past nine. The stone room was filled with people, all of them soldiers, all of them armed in full 3DMG gear and holding rifles. Curiously enough, none of them were those from the 104th training regiment. Most of them were from the Military Police, a few Garrison, and only two soldiers were from the Survey Corp.

Hange and Levi watched, the former wringing her hands in anticipation and nervousness. They were already blistered from taking part in breaking the crystal, using crudely formed sledge hammers made from the crystal pieces.

Lev had refused to take part; it was obvious he thought the plan would be a failure.

"I'm not going to get all sweaty and tired from one of your doomed schemes," he said dryly, but excitement buzzed beneath his skin. This could be it.

It was past noon. They had started at 5:00 sharp. Hange had wasted no time alerting Erwin. Sleep seemed like the most trivial thing at this moment.

Hange had thought long and hard before the operation had begun due to Erwin's prompting. Would breaking the crystal kill Annie Leonhardt? That had been what she was afraid of at first.

 _If we break that crystal, will we find a body inside?_

The scientist knew that most of humanity would be satisfied with the fact that they had "outsmarted" the Female Titan. They would be satisfied that they had broken the crystal. Gotten the last word.

Hange would not be satisfied. The desperate quest for the information Annie Leonhardt held was both scientific and personal for her. The information she possessed was crucial. It could save humanity in the current state that it was in.

Levi had refused to refer to the Female Titan by her real name. Only humans had names. Levi had already accepted that he would never extract his revenge from her, and that had become clearer during the past few months. Even if they did manage to get her out of there, a thousand life times wouldn't bring them back.

They had barely made a dent in the crystal, pounding relentlessly against the side of it. Fine, glittering dust littered the floor, giving off steam as they disintegrated. Every fifteen minutes or so, the pieces of crystal they were using would have to be placed in fire and molten iron to heat them up.

A shallow dip in the crystal's surface had been the only fruits of their labor, a few inches deep but wide. Hange stepped forward every hour to measure it and record the information. The twenty-something soldiers in the room were on their guard, clutching their weapons tightly. Sweat trickled down their faces, both from the intensity of the heat and the intensity of the situation.

The tenth hour of the operation approached. The MPs and Garrison grew tired and hot. Only Hange remained dedicated. Only Levi remained stoic.

"We can't stop now," the scientist urged, walking over to the crystal while their crude tools were heating up once more. "We're close. We are going to succeed. We are going to break this crystal. We are going to get to that titan are going to win this victory."

For some reason, the words seemed false to her, but she shook off the feeling, looking into every face in the room.

"You'll be remembered throughout history for this very moment," Hange continued, her voice firm. "See this to the end."

Only a few seemed to be roused by her speech, but the current shift of soldiers who had been tasked with pounding at the crystal resumed the grueling work. They continued for two more hours before being relieved by another pair. The dent in the crystal had barely changed.

0~o~0

It was four in the evening. There had been no break. Hange sighed, preparing to call off the operation for the day.

"Soldiers. We will resume this to-"

A sharp crack echoed throughout the room. Every person's eyes snapped to the crystal as a low crackle vibrated the room. Low murmurings broke out among the soldiers, and they raised their weapons, gripping them tightly with fear.

Levi uncrossed his arms, his lazy gaze intensifying from feigned boredom to a sharp glare.

Hange stepped forward, ignoring one soldier's shout for her to get back.

Another loud crack sounded loudly, rippling through the tense air. The left half of crystal fell to the ground with an earsplitting crash, snapping chains and leather restraints. There was a low groan from the supports holding it up, and then suddenly steam started to fill the room as more of the crystal fell away from the comatose girl inside. One soldier let out a yell, and a single shot was fired.

Hange let out a cry, running to the center of the room. "Don't shoot!" she screamed, waving her arms. "Do not shoot!"

Levi grabbed her collar and pulled her back as the clanking of gear and trembling of metal could be heard, the room suddenly silent and the soldiers tense. Steam slowly started to clear from the air.

Annie Leonhardt was suspended in what was left of her crystal cocoon for only a second before she fell forward and crumbled to the floor, blood starting to pool beneath her left leg. That one soldier had gotten a lucky shot.

She wasn't conscious, her blonde hair splayed around her head, the flush on her cheeks from the sudden, fresh air standing out from her pale skin. One would barely be able to tell that she was breathing; her chest rose and fell slowly. Her body was completely still.

Levi looked at the girl he had nurtured a deep hate for in the past five months. Was it really her? Was his monster lying down on the cold floor in front of him, breathing when so many others wren't because of her.

Hange fell to her knees, head tilted to the ceiling and hands hanging at her side. Tears filled her eyes, and the scientist was suddenly sobbing. Sobbing with relief and happiness and something else she didn't care to think about at that moment.

"I did it," she cried, shoulders shaking. _IdiditIdiditIdiditIdiditIdiditIdiditIdiditIdidit…_

She was oblivious to the soldiers stepping around her, tears clouding her eyes as they restrained the Female Titan and turned her over.

Hange, however, was not oblivious to the fact that one other person in the room is crying. She wipes her eyes and looks down at her enemy, only to see a silvery tear finish its trek down her cheek.


	2. What Has it Done to Us

**Hello again, Reacher-Chan! Did you expect to see me back so soon? I don't think so! XD I will be working on this fanfiction a lot; right now it's my main one. No more procrastination! This was my first ever fanfiction that I actually planned out, as you all know. It holds so much sentimental value, and I can see that I've improved. Thank you for all the support so far. Please enjoy.**

 ***I realize I should have probably put a spoiler alert... for some things. Mostly manga stuff, but not a lot.**

Darkness broken by spots of dim light greeted Annie's eyes when she opened them. A large, relentless pounding in her head hindered her from figuring out why this was for a few moments. Ah, it was a blindfold with light leaking in where the fabric was thin. That was a solid fact. Something she knew for sure, good. Something else to ponder, who was she? Several words she seemed to have heard recently came to her head.

Female Titan.

Beast.

Murderer.

Monster.

Evil.

Annie-

None but the last one felt to be right. Of course, the other words sounded familiar in her head, somehow ringing true.

So, her name was Annie. Two things down: she was blindfolded and her name was Annie. Next, she registered that moving her body was impossible. Talking didn't seem to be an option either; some type of gag made of a firm material kept her jaws about an inch apart. Even if it wasn't in her mouth, Annie probably wouldn't have been able to talk; her mouth and throat were dryer than a desert. She was lying down and wearing only her bland sports bra and standard military pants.

And then with a sudden rush of pain to her head, she remembered everything.

P _romise me you'll come back-_

 _Even if the whole world-_

 _I'LL KILL THEM ALL-_

 _Could you teach me?-_

 _I just want the weak-_

 _Marco-_

 _From limb to limb-_

 _You're a good person-_

 _For some reason...there hasn't been anyone nearby for a while-_

 _When did you all-_

 _Shitty sense of humor-_

 _ **I've**_

 _This isn't funny-_

 _We can still talk-_

 _ **Failed**_

 _That's enough-_

 _I can't listen-_

 _ **As a**_

 _I'll tear you apart-_

 _It's her-_

 _ **Warrior**_

Annie's posture stiffened immediately, the throbbing in her head increasing as her mind raced, processing and factoring what she knew into some type of useful information. She separated her thoughts into two manageable categories, a logical course of action and probably the most she could manage at this moment.

What she knew: Someone had figured out how to break the crystal. She had been trapped for a long time; the weakness in her muscles were proof of that. The feeling of her titan abilities healing her were missing. This supported that theory. Someone had shot her, according to the pain in her thigh. The wound felt like it had been treated.

Important things she didn't know: Who had freed her. How long she had been in trapped. How long she had been out of her prison. Who else had been captured. What they knew. What they didn't know. What was going on.

The sound of metal on metal echoed around the cell, worsening the headache and interrupted her shaky train of thought. Annie immediately relaxed her body.

Muffled voices, one high, one low, were heard rapidly approaching. Finally, what sounded two people stopped outside her cell. Annie could hear the soft rustle of material. It sounded like the lower voice had just asked a question. There was a pause.

"...Yeah."

"Listen, we're not playing games here. Don't speak to soon. You're the only one who used to know her and can identify her. We don't know if she pulled some crazy titan shit or something. Really look this time."

A loud, drawn out groan. "It is. I'd know that big nose and messy bed head anywhere. Can I go now?"

"Get back on guard duty."

"I'll take that as a yes… peanut brain."

"Don't you dare insult a superior officer like that, Dreyse."

"You can't be my superior if we're in different branches, dumba…"

The voices faded away along with two pairs of footsteps. Moments later, the swinging of a steel door could be heard and then the sound of six metal locks being secured.

This was interesting but confusing. If someone was coming now to identify her, she could not have been here for a long time. At the most, one day.

More importantly, why had they used Hitch, of all people, to recognize her? If she was in the custody of the scouts, wouldn't someone from her class of the 104th regiment be easier to use? They had known her longer. It was also puzzling; if she was in the custody of the MPs, which the fact that Hitch was here supported this, she was sure the fresh wound on her leg wouldn't have been bandaged. And the fact that her old roommate had commented the other person in the room wasn't from the same branch was even more confusing.

Damn it. All this thinking was making her head hurt worse… she could feel herself losing consciousness.

The comatose state that the crystal had kept her in wasn't an actual unconscious state, nor was Annie awake. She was in another state, a state that could be describe as being trapped in time. While the rest of the world moved on, Annie hadn't changed, although her muscles had deteriorated and powers weakened without sunlight. And so she slipped into a truly natural state of sleep.

0~o~0

Icy, blue eyes opened halfway, this time finding unobstructed light in the place of the blindfold. The second thing she saw was a another pair of eyes, gray and stormy.

"Finally. I feel like I've been sitting here for a fucking year."

"Nope. Just twelve hours."

A pair of warm, deep brown eyes appeared next to the first pair.

Annie blinked once, slowly allowing herself to shake off the cobwebs of sleep that clung to her head.

The voices began to provoke another headache, and her already half lidded eyes started to close.

"Oi, Female Titan, don't go to sleep just yet."

Annie's eyes paused right when they were about to close, a crescent moon of glittering blue staring upward. That usual face or boredom slowly fell upon her face. She now recognized the voice and face of this man. He was the one who had taken her down along Mikasa. She did not know his name.

Annie didn't know the name of the woman beside him, but she recognized her as well. This was the woman with the intense gaze, the one who had promised to take her apart piece by piece and remove all of her secrets.

So, she was in the custody of the Survey Corp. Something seemed off about the soldiers that had entered.

"She can hear us. Her eyes are focusing on our faces. Good. Annie Leonhardt? Do you understand us? Do you know that's your name?"

Annie gave no reaction that she was paying attention to them. She waited for them to say something that was worth listening to. Right now, the only thing she was interested in was living and any useful information that would allow her to do so. The goal might have been selfish, but who did she have to be selfless for?

"She didn't react. Damn. What if the crystal left her-"

"Listen, she knows what we're saying. She knows who we are." The man's hand gripped one of the bars. "I can see the desperation in her eyes."

"Save it for the interrogation, Levi. Let's notify the Commander."

Wordlessly, the man she now knew as Levi exited the room, the female following him out.

This time, Annie's head didn't feel like it was compressing her brain. Time to think. The Survey Corp would obviously want information for her. They would be expecting to take it by force. They were taking no chances with her. A deal would most likely not be an option. The noose had been secured around her neck when she had froze herself.

No…

When she had been defeated in the forest. Let Armin live. Failed her plan for the first time. She had admired him for his cleverness and diligence, even though he was the weakest and had been told so repeatedly. So much emphasis was placed on physical power in the world.

No reward was giving for dedication or reserve. Everyone assumed you were talking shit. For that, she had admired Eren. Criticism only fed the flames, and he was a raging fire.

Anyway, she would be the one to gather information before she gave anything out, but it was likely she wouldn't be given the chance. Annie didn't have much pride in the first place. She had created her own reputation with the look in her eyes from day one. She never had something to prove. Training as a soldier was pointless.

Besides, who would be betraying if she told them everything? Reiner and Bertolt? They could be dead for all she knew. Her own kind? She was obviously neither human nor titan nor shifter. No, Annie Leonhardt was the enemy, a whole nother species altogether.

Still. She knew nothing, so she would say nothing. Annie needed some type of information.

Just as she finished thinking, the sound she now grew to recognize as her cell door opening sounded.

"The Commander would like to speak with you, Ms. Leonhardt, but there are a few things you'll have to understand first."

The woman with the messy, brunette hair and sports goggles entered her line of sight, which was prevented from shifting by the leather strap that held her head to the mattress. Levi followed, and then after them, an entourage of twelve or so soldiers, all of them wearing full 3DMG gear and holding rifles. Every barrel was leveled at her head. Every face but the two who had seen her first was shining with a thin sheen of sweat. Something seemed off about the soldiers that had entered. It was bothering her.

"One, you are about one hundred feet underground. Shifting, if you were strong enough, would result in your death, and yes, the deaths of many other soldiers around you. If you think that's an appropriate sacrifice to make, do so."

The woman's voice was colder as she remembered, this time not shaking with morbid excitement. This time, a too wide smiling did not accompany her words; she was perfectly serious about this.

"Two, the Commander wishes to speak to you in his office. Please don't try anything. I'm mostly requesting you don't because Levi will be right behind you."

The short man's eyes flashed.

The woman cocked her head to one side, studying Annie for one silent moment before nodding in affirmation.

"I think she gets it."

Levi was not fazed by the girl that was currently restrained in front of him. Countless times had his enemy not been what he had expected, and he made sure never to show it. He would have been fine with letting the Female Titan stayed locked up in her crystal forever; she would have to live with herself. Pure torture. He lived with himself, after all. Now, though, he would have to muster enough skill to play the angry, little Corporal facing down his most hated enemy. He wasn't sure if he felt like acting right now. Hange, it seemed, was happy to take that role.

It took a few minutes, but eventually Annie was free. Well, as free as one could be while sitting down with ankles chained about a foot and a half apart, gagged, and arms strapped to her body. Her injured leg didn't hurt much when she put weight on it, a fact that was slightly shocking. It had hurt when she had first woken. Had her titan healing abilities worked or had she been out long enough for it to heal naturally?

The woman had been the only one who dared enter the cell and undo Annie restraints. She had been silent and efficient, her glasses reflecting the torchlight every now and then, hiding her dark eyes.

And now the large group was walking slowly down the hallway, the pace set by Annie, Hange at one side and Levi slightly behind them, the soldiers forming a ring around them. The ones to the front of her looked back every second. The ones behind her never let their rifles waver from her small form.

Annie didn't make an effort to walk tall. She walked, or really, she shuffled, as she usually did, albeit with a slight limp, sharp eyes focused right ahead of her. The people around her were smart; no facade she could pull would fool them.

Finally, they reached a dark wood door, one of the soldiers opening it. That was when Annie realized what had been wrong with the soldiers. They all wore the standard, short military jackets but there was no patch on the pocket symbolizing their branch. They could all have been MPs to her. Or Garrison. Or Survey Corp. Levi and the woman had been wearing civilian clothes, for some reason. Her assumption was that she wouldn't be able to choose any soldier's to try and deceive or trick if she didn't know their branch; MPs might sympathize with her. Scouts would hate her.

"Four out here, eight inside," the woman commanded, the soldiers moving to obey, two standing on one side of the door and two on the other. The rest of the soldiers followed them in, arranging themselves around the edge of the room.

It wasn't a big room, a little big longer than it was wide. The first thing she noticed was how warm it was, stuffy and sweltering. It was stone walled and mostly bare for two armchairs, one of which was filled by a broad shouldered figure.

Annie wasn't able to make out his face; the room was only lit by a fire in the corner behind the person in the chair, which she assumed was the Commander. That also explained the intense heat.

The woman and Levi escorted her to the second armchair facing the occupied one. She sat, both intense gazes meeting each other.

"Annie Leonhardt, the Female Titan. It's taken a lot to have you sitting right here." His voice was slow and deep. He sat with his elbows resting on his thoughts, leaning forward and folding his hands under his chin as he regarded her.

"We're going to have to show something for it, obviously. Information we believe only you can provide."

Erwin's eyes darted to the eight soldiers lining the room and then back to Annie.

"I'm not going to waste my breath on a speech about how what you know could save humanity, but I'm telling you that it will.

"There's very few deals to be made here. Murder, treason, destruction… trading information for your life is your only choice. You've already proven yourself to be an enemy of humanity who is not to be reasoned with." He paused to let the girl in front of him think over his words, and he could see that she was doing so, watching her eyes which shone from the flames behind him.

I do know nothing. I want to live. I don't know whether this information is worth guarding anymore. Who will I be protecting?

But then again, she had always played the part of the indifferent, untouchable ice queen for so long. Submitting to the very species she had been raised to hate and trained to destroy did not sound like something she would like to do. Submitting to the best of them, which were the worst of them. She didn't know exactly why the idea of spilling everything seemed so distasteful. Maybe because she was still slightly defiant. Giving information on her own terms would be much better, even though she'd rather not say anything at all.

Erwin spoke again. "Unfortunately, the information you hold is needed quite badly right now, so you have no time to think about this. Either you cooperate now, or we begin taking what we want by force immediately."

Annie made no hint to her answer, but Erwin took this as a negative answer, which is what she would have given him anyway. The room was silent for a moment

"I know you're cunning, Leonhardt. I know you're smart. I suspect we'll be seeing just how smart you are in the next few days. Resisting will be stupid, I'm telling you now."

Annie knew that she could withstand a lot; it had been part of her training. Neither experiencing torture nor giving in was in best interests at this moment. She would wait and bide her time.

0~o~0

Hange stirred the fire with the poker, its tip cherry red and blistering. She had already rolled up the sleeves on her shirt; this room was intensely heated as well. Three other iron handles stuck out from the flames as well, though they weren't pokers.

The scientist turned, looking down at the girl who was strapped face down to the the stone table before her.

"You have the power to make this stop at anytime," she said seriously. "That's all I have to say for now."

She removed an iron rod from the fire, it's end white hot and rippling the air around it. It was a brand, the end one symbol of wall Maria.

"We're going to mark you with the very walls you hate so very much," Hange said, her voice changing from frigid to smug.

She watched the muscles on Annie's back tense and realized that she was apprehensive as well.

"I can do this, Hange…" Levi said to Hange, right beside her, arms crossed.

"You know what Erwin said," was Hange's curt response.

Levi looked her straight in the eye. "I don't care what he said."

"Thanks for worrying, Levi," she said, her voice dry. She turned away from him. "But I'm perfectly capable of doing this."

And it seemed like Levi was watching himself as she pressed the brand into Annie's skin as soon as she had finished speaking, allowing no time for him to say anything.

He didn't, but Levi couldn't help but wonder what the past five months had done to them.


	3. This is War

**I am back yet again with reasonable update timing. This chapter will end with unfamiliar territory...things you guys haven't read yet and things I haven't written yet. This is basically the chapter that I was supposed to write next but never did.**

 **Yes this one will be slightly bloody, even though I really skipped almost all of Hange's experiments. Please enjoy!**

 **I just realized I should have put a spoiler alert. Not for this chapter, I don't think , but future ones. This chapter is mostly one for getting into the character's heads, and I have a strong feeling some people are going to highly disagree with me about how I've portrayed their inner thinking. This was extremely hard to write for me. Anyway, next chapter will be action packed.**

 **(I don't think I'll be able to write all characters very well in this chapter. Please tell me if I did or didn't. I honestly kind of think the canon characters would be affected like this.)**

"Nothing," Hange said, crossing one leg over the other. Her dark gaze meant Erwin's in an almost...defiant way.

"Nothing,' he repeated, folding his hands on the desk's smooth surface. "It's been four days. Even the most well trained of our past prisoners has never lasted past two."

"She screams so she doesn't have to talk," Hange said, tilting her head to one side. "And at the end of the day, we've lost even though she hasn't won. Let me run a few tests, Commander. I can have her talking in a day."

Erwin shook his head once. "No, we only have one more week. I can't let any of your tests result in permanent damage. As you've both reported, her healing abilities barely work at this point. I won't take the risk."

"It will be within your best interests. We get her and the information."

"Absolutely not. It may get what we want faster, but again, I won't risk it." Erwin's voice never changed tone; Hange may not have let her frustration show, but he could sense it.

"Listen, Commander, everyone has a breaking point, even her. I can find it, and after something is broken, you can fix it however you want." She knew how the Commander's mind worked. Completely military and tactical. He never made one moment or said one thing that wasn't planned out or would benefit him or his cause. She would have to make what she wanted appeal to him.

"Let me run some tests, the ones I wasn't able to run on Eren."

"This subject is not debatable, Squad Leader. I do have confidence in your abilities, but unless the situation becomes dire, the answer is no."

"I can find out her limits, her-"

"You are dismissed."

Hange let out a deep breath and stood, wordlessly walking to the door. She opened it and stepped out into the hallway, stopping short as the site of several Military Police greeted her eyes, in the center of them standing a man she recognized as the leader of the MPs, Nile Dok.

"He's all yours," she said a bit too coldly, waving one hand with a mocking flourish to the door behind her before walking off.

Nile didn't bother looking after her, instead entering the office, the group of MPs following him.

"Commander," he addressed the man before even sitting down. "I'll make my business here short and to the point. I propose the Military Police take the Female Titan into our custody."

"Your reasoning," Erwin asked, crossing his arms on his desk.

"I know how weak she is, and now we can say that we now have the proper equipment to make sure she doesn't escape."

Erwin raised one eyebrow. "Near the center? You'll be dealing with a mass murderer, Nile. I know you're smarter than this," Erwin said, not surprised. The moment this man had entered his office, he knew what was going to be proposed.

"You had your chance with one of these monsters, the Jager kid. Surely you can agree it's our turn? I've considered all angles. The majority of the Military Police might not be as well trained titan killers like the Survey Corp, but we can handle her."

"You plan to keep her near the interior-" Erwin started.

"Where there are more soldiers," Nile interjected quickly.

"But if she gets over one wall, I doubt you're forces will be able to follow her," the Commander continued calmly.

"She won't. You're headquarters are close to the outer walls, anyway. Don't tell me that's not just as dangerous as in the interior, Erwin, and don't forget how many of my soldiers are stationed here."

"My answer is no," Erwin said, stating his decision slowly.

"You've had her for long enough." Nile said, his dark eyes serious. " Might I remind you of the destruction she caused and the number of my soldiers she killed. Leonhardt was a member of the MP. My branch has the right to access her."

"I'm afraid the answer is still no. The Female Titan murdered many of my soldiers as well, many more, in fact, even though that should have no effect on whose custody she is in. She will continue to be interrogated by us."

"Look, Erwin, I've come here privately to discuss this with you because a trial is the last thing both of us want. The general public cannot be allowed to know that the Female Titan is alive. An execution is what they'll be wanting. We have the same goal here, to get whatever information she possesses."

"We do, but I simply cannot trust that she will be guarded as well with the Military Police."

"Then why don't you come to the inner wall and inspect our holding cell?"

"You know I will not and why I will not. I see your reasoning, but I will not allow it. The Survey Corp are the ones in possession of Annie Leonhardt, and it will stay that way."

"Very well, then. If that's how you're going to be, I'll have to be back with legal orders you'll have to obey… that's all for now."

Nile stood stiffly and exited the office, his officers following him.

Erwin watched him leave and then leaned back in his chair. Plans are going to have to be altered now… He walked over to his office door and opened to look out at one of the guards that were posted there 24/7. They weren't there for his protection.

"Send for Dreyse," he said in his bass tone to one of the MPs. Even though there was no patch on their jackets to hint of their branch, he had already memorized every face of every soldier in his Headquarters.

 _In the meantime,_ he thought as the soldier ran off, _I need to think of what to say to Hange. Leonhardt will not bend or break to these methods, I know that already, but Hange's state…_ He thought of the looks in her eyes. Desperation and anger and some sort of merciless, sadistic emotion. He recognized those emotions in the eyes of those surviving soldiers who had stared hopelessly at the crystal.

 _As long as she can do her job and not get carried away, there won't be any problems,_ he decided. _But nevertheless, we need to keep moving forward. In the most crucial part or war, before it has even begun, every angle must be considered. I cannot Squad Leader Hange to be this way if things are to turn out the way I intend them to/_

0~o~0

"Oi, Hange, we need to talk," Levi said, rapping on the door frame.

"Hmm? What is it?" Hange asked, not turning around. She was currently writing furiously in her notebook, wasting no time on even looking at Levi.

"I want to know something...what would happen if Erwin were to remove you from the interrogation duties of the Female Titan?"

Hange's quill fell to the ground, splattering ink, her shoulders tensing. "What?"

"I said, what would happen if Erwin were to remove you from the interrogation duties of the Female Titan?"

"He wouldn't," Hange said calmly, crouching to pick up the quill.

"But what if?"

"He wouldn't."

"Damn it, Hange. Answer the question. I don't like the way this is affecting you. You can't allow yourself to be like this when-"

"Levi… " Hange turned so fast the normal person would have missed it. She stood over him, eyes boring into his. "What the hell wrong with you," she hissed. "I thought that you of all people would understand what it's like. What's it's like to lose so many close to you so suddenly and in that way. And then just when you've think you've failed, you've succeed in the single most important thing in your life," she spat.

"You experienced it too, Levi. Why are you the one being like this? Don't you hate her? Do you not want to know everything about the girl who took everything from you? Don't you? What is wrong with-"

"I'm tired, Hange," Levi answered, stepping away from her. He would be willing to just let go of it all. He wanted everything to go back to normal, but no one would let that happen. He was tired, though he would not admit. " I'm tired of all this shit."

"Every time you came up with a new scheme to break that damn crystal, I mustered all of my hate and energy to be ready to play the part of the angry Corporal, but I got tired. I got tired of getting worked up and then getting let down. I got tired of acting the way I was supposed to, and now that I'm really facing down the monster that took so much from me, I'm too damn tired to do anything. I still hate her. I'd still kill her and be fine with it, but I'm not going to get worked up and waste my energy on a worthless titan anymore."

And with that, he turned and exited the room, walking off down the hallway.

Hange stood, shell shocked and looking after him. So, that's what had been going on inside his head for the fact four days.

Well, no one expects me to be the emotionless, scary Corporal, she thought, her gaze hardening. There may be some truth to his words, but not for me. There's too much to know and not enough time for me to get it. You will spill your secrets, Annie Leonhardt.

0~o~0

 _Laughing had been some sort of reflex as soon as Armin had shouted it. A form of relief and guilt and fear. Well, they had done it. He had done it. Leaving Armin alive. Letting him see her face. She had written it off in her mind, telling herself that killing him would have been unnecessary. Maybe she had done it indirectly, knowing that it would lead to her capture._

 _The streets, why were they were so empty?_

 _The three in front of her, why did they seem to have an air of desperation?_

 _Her instinct, why was it flaring up?_

 _Why was she warning herself?_

 _Of course, they knew. She didn't accept until Armin, his hand clutching a flare (that fact hadn't gone unnoticed by her), had yelled his questions and accusations across the too empty street._

 _Honestly, even returning to inside the walls was a stupid idea._

 _Maybe it was her fascination with some humans. She was quiet because she liked to hear. Still because she wanted to see._

 _The world didn't deserve humans and they didn't deserve the world, but, mostly, she thought that she didn't deserve humans._

 _Everyone of them was like a small, burning flame. Sometimes the weak were pathetic and sometimes they weren't. But all of them were weak and most didn't know it, so they were interesting to watch. It was almost comical, they way they cared about only themselves._

 _Maybe some part of her desired to be captured. It was, after all, what she deserved. Living, however, was something she desired the most. The feeling of being alive and breathing and seeing and feeling, even if it was only a pretend game for a while._

 _Maybe she loved living because it should have been forbidden for her._

Annie awoke from her exhausted sleep with a jerk, ragged coughs shaking her small frame. She was dripping wet from the bucket of icy, salty water that had just been tossed at her, stinging her wounds but keeping them from getting infected.

Eventually the coughing fit ended, leaving her chest and lungs aching. She shivered violently throughout the next hour until she fell asleep once more, only to be awaken through the same process.

Hours before, she had been escorted to a brightly lit, small room with a rough cobblestone floor, her hands chained and pinned behind her with a metal pole inserted in the ground.

Nothing had happened except for the shock of cold water every hour, so the sound of the door unlocking didn't raise her head.

0~o~0

"Damn! This is harder than I thought it would be!"

Metal and metal slammed against each other as Annie's body jerked forward, blood leaking from her gums as she dug her teeth into the gag, almost biting through it to the metal piece inside.

A loud crack of splintering bone broke the air. Annie arched her back and lunged forward, the tendons in her throat standing out as she fought to keep from screaming.

"There! That's one bone. Now for the other one! It's such a convenience for the forearm to have two bones."

Another snap.

For a second the colors of the room turned sepia to Annie, monochromes of reddish brown. She dimly heard Hange sound pleased about something, and then there was a sharp pain right under her elbow that sawed back and forth until she felt half of her arm fall to the ground. A light headed feeling whisked away the pulsing pain, darkness creeping into the edges of her vision as she slumped forward.

"Apply the tourniquet now, Levi," Hange hummed, wiping a small splatter of blood from her cheek. "One more test to go."

"There's no way, shitty-glasses. She's bleeding out right now. You've already done almost every fucking experiment Erwin forbade you to do to Jager. That's all for today," Levi said, still leaning against the doorway. He hadn't moved since they had entered, watching Hange perform several experiments on the Female Titan.

"I want to know, Levi. I want to know everything. So bad." Her voice was suddenly quiet. Softer.

"... I want to know everything too, but I don't see that happening anytime soon," Levi said. "There are higher things at stake than our personal vendettas."

Hange let out a long, shuddering sigh, tears gathering in her eyes. "I just want to know," she said again, on the verge of sobbing.

"Goddamnit, shitty-glasses, don't start crying now," Levi said, turning around to pull open the door. "I said that's enough. Go get yourself cleaned up."

He stepped outside, looking at the twelve soldiers standing guard outside, and opened his mouth to issue orders before Hange spoke.

"Give Leonhardt an hour to start healing. Escort her to her cell after," Hange said, coming up behind Levi. Same procedure as always tomorrow," she said, all trace of her earlier distress gone from her voice and face.

Levi was already walking off. _Hange… you're a rational woman. Surely you can see the truth in my words. Believe me, I know what you're feeling, and you either succumb to it or realize it does nothing. Myself, I succumbed to it once and let go of it now. You can't tell yourself to be emotionless until you actually are._

Hange stole one last glance at Annie Leonhardt, the girl kneeling forward as far as her chains would allow in a pool of softly steaming blood.

The past conversation with Levi had been out aside after Erwin notified her she would be able to go along with her plans as long as the Corporal was present.

 _Has he really let go of everything? The Female Titan took everything from him… and this is the second time, from what I've heard. He has more of a reason to hate her than anybody else in the Survey Corp. Why the hell can't I do that? Do I really feel obligated to be angry for everyone else?_

She barely made it back to her room before slamming the door shut and crouching against it, sobbing.

In his room right next to hers, Levi was remembering when he had wanted to do the same. _Twice I've lost it all fighting for humanity, this damn species. Whoever is trying to fuck with me won't win, because I'll be damned if I stop now._

0~o~0

"Dreyse to see you, sir," one of the soldiers said from outside.

"Enter," Erwin commanded, and the cat-eyed girl did so, barely walking in a few feet before closing the door behind her so she could lean on it.

"Yes?"

"Plans are changing."

"I know. That's why I've been staying close by. I could have gone out today, and yet I didn't. Spill, what's been brewing. The rumor says that Dok wants Annie," Hitch said, regarding him out of the corner of her eye as she inspected the nails on one hand.

'In short, yes, the MPs are preparing to take Leonhardt, and I have suspicion that they'll have legal orders I must obey. You'll need to relay a message."

"As much as I'd love to leave this castle and shirk my duties for a long, tiring journey, I'd rather not. Why can't you do it this time?"

"You know I can't leave here the way things are now, Dreyse." Erwin said, his voice still smooth. He was no stranger to this conversation.

"I suppose I could do it, but just do you know, it's a huge inconvenience for me," Hitch said dryly.

Erwin nodded. "Tomorrow, then. I'll arrange for a Garrison to give you the message on the wall. Ride fast. It was too close last time."

"Doubt me, Erwin, and I won't be helping anymore," Hitch said dryly

"Then that is all."


	4. Forward

**I just realized the rate that I've been updating at, and I really don't know if it's a good or bad thing. I mean, I work for hours on these chapters, and it's pretty hard...but three chapters in two days… I mean, at this rate, I'll be half finished with this is a week or two. I make each chapter 3,000 words or over… So, thanks to the advice of one of the most amazing fanfiction authors ever, Frantastic1993, I'll be updating every week and a half now.**

 **(I really don't think I can do other canon characters that well…)**

 **Anyway, please enjoy.**

The thick scent of searing flesh filled the room like charcoal, a sweet and acrid smell so strong it could be tasted and that curled your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Taunt muscle tightened even further. The bumps of her spine were clearly visible along her back, her body shuddering and covered with a sheen of sweat.

Muffled sounds and heavy breathing were the only sounds in the room along with the crackling of fire.

"What about the titan in the wall? A friend of yours, perhaps?"

Sharp blue eyes clouded over by pain danced wildly in their sockets, eventually locking on the other icy pair in the room. Commander Erwin was here today. Standing solemnly near the fire with his arms behind his back. His expression hadn't yet changed.

Honestly, she didn't even hate them. In any case, she deserved this anyway. She had even considered submitting, and even if death was her fate, it would be better than this pain. However, knew that submitting would lead to something much worse then this torture; Annie had inferred that the Military Police would want custody of her. Anything the Survey Corp would do to her, the MPs would do it 10 times as horrible. If she gave in, they would most certainly swoop in to gain access to her.

But the urge to withstand them was also so strong, and Annie had been picking up on something. The air was tense, and there seemed to be more soldiers around than usual. All twelve soldiers were in the room, blocking the door and standing near the wall, and six more were posted outside. Levi wasn't here too, and the lack of his presence was unusual.

Hange wasn't all there today as well; she was more professional. Her eyes were more serious and movements more focused. She peeled the brand from Annie's skin, its symbol already burned deeply into her skin just like the other two. The skin branded over and over everyday. It hardly healed anymore.

Every few minutes, muffled thumps and crashes sounded throughout the castle, barely heard through the thick, stone walls. The soldiers inside tensed, hands tightening on weapons as heads turned toward the door.

Erwin appeared unfazed as the sounds ceased, and Hange continued as normal. The shiiik of metal on metal sounded right outside the door and then the soft sounds of thrashing and pounding. And then it was silent again.

One of the soldiers in the room stepped away to from the wall and to the door as all went quiet again .

And at that moment, in a series of sharp, calculated movements, four of the soldiers suddenly drew their blades in a flash and leapt at the other soldiers silently. The room exploded in a flurry of shouting and blood. Hange immediately drew her swords, vaulting over the stone table with a cry and entering the fray.

Erwin straightened up, one of the attacking soldiers tossing him a musket with a bayonet, and he too ran into the sudden fight, grappling with another. The door burst open and more soldiers flooded the room, the newcomers faster and more efficient, their faces masked and blades spinning.

And Annie didn't see any of this, unable to turn her head and only able to hear the clash of blades and cries of the soldiers. Blood splattered on her skin. She didn't see that in the sudden chaos, one had decided that the Female Titan was responsible for all of this, and with a roar he charged toward her, his swords raised to stab her. The tip of a blade driving through his chest stopped him short, and he slumped down and fell forward as his attacker kicked him forward.

"Go!" the masked soldier roared, wiping his blade on the jacket of the soldier he had just killed with a disapproving noise, and Annie recognized Levi's voice.

There was a flash of metal, the needle of a syringe caught from the light of the fire, and Annie had just enough time to register the sharp sting of pain on the back of her neck before her muscles started to relax, a warm syrupy feeling taking over her mind and numbing it.

He slung her too-light body over his shoulder, his other hand grasping a sword as he turned to the door. The living soldiers, thirteen of them, were now all masked, even Hange and Erwin. The guards that had been attacked were dead, splayed around the room. The entire operation had taken about six minutes.

"Come on, Rico will be waiting with our ride out of here," Levi said, and in a formation placing him and Annie at the center, the soldiers ran out into the corridor, heading up the stairs and to the exit.

0~o~0

Annie first became aware of the fact that she was in someone's arms, enveloped in a tight, warm, hard muscled grip. Whoever held her was running fast, and cool, harsh night air made her shiver. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times to clear her vision and looking up to see the sharp jawline of a familiar face, black hair just reaching past her chin, and determined eyes staring straight forward.

It was Mikasa Ackerman, the young soldier running through a dark forest, black branches crisscrossing the dark sky. There was shouting behind her and lanterns dancing wildly through the trees, falling faller and faller behind. Her breath came in even bursts, and she wasted no time looking back, skidding to the side down an even darker path, the moon disappearing in the tangles of trees and red scarf trailing behind her. She suddenly jumped high, landing roughly and taking off even quicker, sending a jolt of shock through only sounds now were Mikasa's breath and the crunching of leaves and twigs giving way beneath her boots.

She seemed to run for hours until pink dawn started to streak the night, and Annie had already drifted off into a light sleep.

Mikasa bounded to a carriage on the edge of the forest just as the first rays of sunlight started to fall through the trees, a silhouette dashing through the clearing when dawn broke. It wasn't a fancy one, more like a standard military cart with high sides and a thick tarp blocking the sunlight.

"The others had to take the opposite route; they were on our tail," she reports, climbing onto the cart and depositing Annie onto the floor. The carriage took off immediately, horses racing across a wide plain. It was small and light, made for speed and efficiency, and whisked its passengers away.

The interior of the carriage was empty, save for a small wooden chest at the front, which Mikasa opened and took out a syringe, turning around and quickly injecting Annie with its contents. Her body relaxed, but only a little as she sat against the wooden wall of the carriage, keeping her dark eyes on Annie's unmoving form.

It was another few hours until they reached the last leg of their journey, the edge of another large, coniferous forest. The Forest of Giant Trees. And that was when its occupants finally ran out of luck; a titan had seem them and approached from the south.

The carriage raced into the forest, the horses frothing at their mouths and pelts steaming. As soon as the titan stepped foot into the trees, two soldiers dropped down from their branches to dispatch it.

Now, silent shadows danced through the trees that lined the carriage's path, their bodies whistling through the air. They escorted it deeper into the forest until a clearing could be seen about a hundred yards away. A large castle towered near the center of the forest, obviously old and weather beaten.

Six horsemen melted out of the forest and rode close to the carriage, blades drawn and faces hard, eye trained on it. The air was tense as soldiers slunk through the shadows, the carriage pulling to a stop outside of the castle's broad wooden doors. It was immediately surrounded, not one soldier making a sound, staring solemnly at it.

Mikasa exited, then turned and carried Annie out, the shifter still unconscious. Her appearance caused several of the soldiers to take a half step forward as if to say something, but remembering orders, they held their tongues.

Silent as a funeral procession, the soldiers formed a circle around the two young woman, and they entered the castle.

0~o~0

Hours later, Levi pulled his steed to a stop, handing its reins to the soldier who had dismounted beside him. He purposefully made his way into the castle, Erwin and Hange not far behind.

The full size of the castle was not clear from the front; most of it lay deep underground, and only the first four levels were visible. Hundreds of years before, it had once been a military base, and here it was, once again reliving its purpose but for more dire circumstances.

The trio was greeted by a young, bright eyed teen, Eren Jager, and he did not look happy.

"Corporal!" He saluted, waiting approximately six seconds before speaking rapidly. "Did the operation really succeed?"

Levi nodded once, and Erwin motioned for Eren to walk with them.

"When can I see her?"

"Goddamnit, Jager. I haven't been inside Headquarters for a minute. You'll see her whenever I decide it's safe enough for you to do so, Jager, and not before then, do you understand?"

Levi would have expected an angry outburst a few months ago, but instead, Eren nodded. War had matured all of them.

"Yes, Corporal. How did the operation go?"

"Smoothly. Not one injury. We're all here for good, now. The last wave of soldiers should arrive in two days, and we're at 1,500. I expect we'll barely clear 2,000," Levi answered.

"Is that enough?"

"We don't know yet." Erwin answered this time. "Tell the others that attempting to visit Leonhardt is forbidden."

"How many soldiers know she's here, sir?" Eren asked as the group turned down another corridor, this one sloping downward.

"All of what's left of the Survey Corp, a few trusted Garrison, and even less Military Police and civilians," the Commander said. "But rumors will travel fast, of course."

Levi stopped the group at a staircase leading down. "This is where you leave us," he said.

Eren saluted once more. "See you, Corporal."

He turned and walked down the way they had came, knowing exactly where to find what was left of the 104th training regiment. They were currently sitting in Jean's room, Connie, Sasha, Armin, Reiner, Krista, Ymir, and Jean. Hitch and Marlowe were there as well, the former having already started an argument. Eren's arrival quieted them.

"Corporal Levi's here," he announced. "He says it went smoothly. None of us are allowed to see her, though."

"Mikasa is," Connie pointed out.

"She would be able to handle... her; she's on guard duty," Sasha said. "I don't think Corporal Levi thinks we're trustworthy or powerful enough."

Eren shook his head. "It's not that. He doesn't know how we'll react. I don't know how I will. I mean, can any of you really imagine what you'd say to her?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

The answers all came, one after another. They all sat in silence for a moment. Past conversations about the Female Titan hadn't been this hesitant; the hope that the crystal would be broken had long since evaporated. They had been heated and angry, but had faded until they didn't talk about her at all.

"I, for one, want to know her excuses," Jean said after a few moments. "What could possibly be so important that it's worth sealing yourself in a damn crystal for half a year?"

"I doubt she'll have talked," Eren said, sighing. "If she was prepared to go that far then it must have some really valuable to keep secret.

"It's a useless plan, bringing her here," Ymir injected as Eren opened his mouth to speak. She crossed her arms. "She's a titan through and through. This is the real world, not some fairytale where the power of friendship will make the bad guy good."

"You don't know that!" Krista said, looking harshly at Ymir. "Considering how things are now, there's a high chance Annie'll comply. None of us even really knew her."

At Krista's words, everyone's eyes slowly turned to look at Reiner. He had refused to talk about Annie, not even defending or taking part in the conversations against her. He had made it clear that no one was to ask him about her.

It was Armin who broke the silence this time. " I believe that, due to the situation humanity is in now, Annie will comply, or, at least there's a high chance of her doing so. The Commander wouldn't have risked so much if he didn't think so as well. Besides, the situation we're all in now could result in her cooperation as well."

"I don't know," Hitch said, folding her arms behind her head. "Annie didn't really seem evil to me, I guess. She didn't come into the MPs for an easy life or to fix it like Marlowe here. She joined the MPs to survive, or, at least, that's what she told us."

"She probably joined to throw off suspicion on being the Female Titan," Armin said. "No one would have guessed it could be an MP officer, and that did further her survival, in a way."

"She always talked about how humanity was shit," Eren said. "I'll admit I partially agree with her, but instead of sitting back and watching the world go to hell like it is now, we're going to do something.

Sasha nodded. "I'm with you, Eren. All of us who've made it this far are."

"Guess we're all waiting for Mikasa to get back with the details, right," Jean said, leaning against the wall.

Everyone nodded.

"I doubt there'll be much to tell, anyway," Hitch said, tossing her hair.

No one asked what she meant, even though everyone wanted to do bad. Hitch knew that.

"Cut the crap, Hitch," Jean finally said, rolling his eyes, "and explain."

She smiled smugly. "I know for a fact how weak she is. Considering how the plan was carried out, she's going to be dead to the world for a day or two."

"Hey guys." Reiner spoke suddenly.

All heads in the room turned to look at him.

"Before any of you guys gets to talk to her alone and say your piece… let me be the first, ok?" He didn't look at any of them as he spoke, instead opting to stare down at the floor.

Eren nodded. "Yeah, we're all ok with that, Reiner."

It was at that moment Mikasa entered the room, and upon seeing everyone's eyes on her she sighed and spoke flatly. "Nothing happened. She's been sleeping for the past few hours, and Hange isn't sure when she'll wake up."

Then Connie, who, with the confidence of Reiner finally speaking out, said, "Hey, Mikasa, what do you think of Annie?"

The room went silent, and Connie started to regret his decision to ask Mikasa after a few moments. "If you don't feel like talking, I'm so-"

"No… I regard Annie Leonhardt as an enemy to humanity," Mikasa said, walking further into the room. "And as a soldier, it is my job to protect humanity, and by doing so, I kill the enemies of humanity. So, until she is able to prove to me that she is not an enemy of humanity, I will see her as one and not hesitate to take her out again."

Reiner got up and walked out of the room a few seconds after.

0~o~0

"Damn, it's cold up here, shitty-glasses."

Hange half turned, looking at at Levi. "Oh… hey." She returned to swinging her legs over the edge of the room and starting out at the moon, which was visible right above them, so full and big and resting right on the tips of the tree tops. Nothing was said for a few minutes.

"Listen, Levi… I know the way I'm feeling isn't smart. Like you said… there are bigger things at stake now. More than ever, but am I really supposed to forget all of that?" Hange said, finally speaking.

"No," Levi said, crossing his arms and looking into the forest. "There's no fucking protocol for what you're supposed to do. I'm not having this conversation for a third time. You just do whatever the hell you think you should do-"

"But I don't know, Levi! I have no idea. I'm facing down the monster that's hurt me in the worst way that I've ever been hurt before, and I have it in _my_ power to hurt her back so badly! How-"

"You didn't let me finish. You've been fighting titans for half your life like most of the veterans, and unless you want all of that to be for nothing, get your shit together. You're smarter than this, you just said it yourself."

"I'd hardly call that proper advice, Levi."

"This isn't supposed to be a heart to heart. I'm saying this so you don't screw up, and right now, I'm wasting my breath. You can afford to be angry _after_ humanity goes extinct."

And then the only sounds where the softly rustling trees and fading footsteps. Hange kept staring at the sky, the moonlight reflecting off of her glasses. _I'm being so selfish right now,_ she realized. _I'm not the only who has the right to be angry, but I can put that aside for bigger things. And maybe, once I set it aside, I'll lose it or forget it was ever even there. Forward is the way to go..._


	5. To My Enemies

**Here we are with another chapter! Thanks to everyone who has supported me during writing this so far! I know I said I'd be waiting longer times in between updates, but I wanted all of you to read this chapter so bad! Not much else to say here… thanks for all the support so far, and please enjoy!**

Hange used her thumb to open the girl's eyelid, watching the black center in the icy blue iris grow smaller at the sudden light.

"Automatic bodily functions are working normally. Pupils dilating. Reflexes slightly delayed. To be expected."

"I don't know who the hell you're talking to, shitty-glasses, because I'm not listening." Levi leaned against the wall, his arms crossed.

"Quiet. This is crucial," Hange muttered, recording the information in her journal. "What if the sedative was too much for her system?"

"Again, I have no idea who you're talking to, because I have no idea," Levi said. "I don't care one way or another. Erwin will name the mission a failure if she doesn't regain consciousness in three days, and if you can't do anything about it, then let's go. We have preparations to make, and I'm not standing here when there are more important things to do."

"I'm not going to lose her after everything we went through," Hange said sharply, glaring at Levi. "It might be a bigger gamble than we're used to taking, but still…"

Levi didn't answer, obviously not deeming her statement something he needed to reply to.

Hange closed her notebook and walked to the other side of the small, sparse room. There was an oil lamp in the far corner, a bed at the other and a small dresser next to it. Annie lay on the bed, hands and legs bound to its frame, but that was all that restrained her.

"Alright, then, come on. Let's see what the Commander would have us do." She made her to the door before slight movement in the corner of her vision caught her eye. The squad leader turned around.

Annie had slowly opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling for a long, long moment before they settled into their usual half lidded gaze as she slowly tried to understand what had and was happening, not registering the voices and presence of two others in the room.

She then realized that she could actually move a little; sitting up and turning her head were possible, colossal luxuries compared to the amount of movement she had been allowed for the past week. Or had it only been a week? Her concept of time was horribly messed up.

A face appeared in her line of vision, bespectacled and way too close. "Hey Levi, look, she's up." She looked away at something, then back at Annie. "Annie, can you hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The blonde girl nodded once, eyes darting around the room. The squad leader's voice was slightly muted, but growing more clear by the second. What were these two doing here? What had even happened? She remembered the cell exploding in a flurry of blood and shouting… and then nothing. And now she was here, in an environment far different than before.

"Told you. Now let's go tell Erwin so he can round everyone up," Levi said, walking over and looking indifferently down at Annie. "He said he wanted to know immediately. Make sure to act like everything's normal when we exit, alright, shitty-glasses. We don't want anyone knowing just yet, so don't let your excitement give it away.

Hange straightened up, turning away. "I'm not excited… just a bit relieved." She paused. "Hey, what about the Braun kid? He's been waiting for the past two days. Didn't Erwin say he would be able to see her?"

"Let him in, I suppose. He, at least, seems smart enough to know not to say much."

The two walked out of the room, the sound of a door closing and then the click of a lock following their exit, leaving Annie to ponder exactly what any of this meant. She was in a different room from before, for some reason, and there were no guards that she could see. This information was really playing with her mind; how had she gotten from being imprisoned in the Survey Corp headquarters to where… wherever this was. Anyway, she would be finding out soon, judging from Levi's words.

Annie tested the strength of the padded chains that cuffed her hands to the bed frame. Stronger than she was. The same with her feet. She didn't have long to think; the sound of the door opening interrupted her thoughts. Slow, heavy footsteps sounded across the wooden floor, growing steadily closer.

Was it Erwin? Or, perhaps, some soldier coming to see the infamous Female Titan how helpless?

Reiner Braun looked down at Annie, his appearance surprising but relieving her. She had not been expecting to see him, and relaxed a bit at the fact that it was only him.

There was a small look of surprise on his face; seeing Annie like this, weak and helpless even though she would never act like it, it was shocking to him.

"Reiner… what?"

"I came to tell you a few things, Annie. I-"

She immediately interrupted him. "Hold on, I want to know a few things before you say anything. One, how long did I trap myself? Two, how long was I in the Survey Corp custody? And three, am I still in their custody?"

Her voice shocked Reiner. It was rough and lower than he had remembered it, no longer as smooth and cool as it had been from lack of use. He had been expecting these questions, and answered quickly. "Five months inside your crystal, a week and two days inside the walls, five days here, and yes."

"Where exactly is here?" Annie asked.

"I really can't tell you that… or anything else, Annie. I'm not supposed to. There are just… some things you need to know before they go to talk to you about what's been happening. Some things about the mission. They're letting me see you because I asked to be the first one, and they think I knew you best, which I guess I kinda did…"

"Get to the point," Annie said flatly. "You're rambling."

"I killed Bertolt," Reiner blurted out, looking toward the door even though they had been whispering. He swallowed once, now starting to sweat. He then looked back at her a bit hesitantly, not wanting to see her expression, lest it be angry and judging.

She looked at him with the same expression as always, waiting for him to continue.

"It was a few days after you sealed yourself in the crystal. Everything was still chaos, and the Survey Corp were going to send us new recruits off somewhere, without Eren… he wanted to complete the mission before that happened and made everything complicated; they weren't telling any of us anything.'

 _It was almost night, the sky streaked with red and orange and darkening clouds. The new Survey Corp recruits had been sent to the top of the walls to clean the cannons while the higher ups conversed._

 _"Reiner." Bertolt had stepped away from the cannon, looking for a brief second at the others, who were far away from them. Bertolt and Reiner had made it perfectly clear that they were to be left alone after what had happened with Annie._

 _Reiner had looked up, knowing exactly what his friend was going to say. He had been waiting for it, dreading this conversation and what he would have to say to Bertolt._

 _"Listen, we know what they're going to do. We have to finish it soon, get Eren and then escape. We can do it. right now, if possible, before something else happens." He waited for a response from Bertolt._

 _"Listen, Bertolt, I don't want to do this anymore. I-"_

 _"What?"_

 _"I said, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm not going to continue the mission... " Reiner took a deep breath. "I'm going to stay a soldier."_

 _Bertolt looked at him for a moment, and then an angry looked flashed across his face. "What the hell, Reiner? Do you not care about Mercal? He died for us! You're betraying Annie! You're betraying me! What happened to going home, Reiner, huh? That's what we're supposed to do after all of this!"_

 _"It isn't right," Reiner said through clenched teeth. "I can't do it. Listen, I'm going to join them. Be a soldier, and you can too. We can-"_

 _"All I've wanted is to go home. Complete the mission and then have everything go back to normal like it was. You and me, friends like brothers. What happened to that?"_

 _"Nothing. You're still my comrade, but you've seen everything I have in these past years, haven't you? Don't pretend like it hasn't had an effect on you. Maybe we were wrong, Bertolt. Everything we were told to do would destroy them. All these things I've observed… they're all good people, fighting for a goal that might seem impossible, but really, we can help and make it not so-"_

 _"Listen to what you're saying, Reiner. We're supposed to be the strong, unwavering heroes. You've turned your back on our home. On me. What happened to you? Don't you want to go home?"_

 _"No-"_

 _"You've grown attached to them, haven't you? To these people who would kill us without hesitation if they knew who we were? Damn it, Reiner. I'm going to complete the mission. I'm going home, and I'm going to take you with me. I'll kill you if I have to, Reiner."_

 _"Bertolt, you won't do that."_

 _"How do you know I won't?"_

 _"I just know you won't. I know you."_

 _"Well, I don't know you anymore, and I'm going to do this whether you're going to help or not," Bertolt said, taking a step toward Reiner._

 _"Don't do it, Bertolt. I'll stop you. I'm not going to let you hurt them anymore."_

 _"You'd better not get in my way-"_

 _Whatever he had was going to say next never left his mouth; Bertolt had been quieted by a blade driven deep into his chest._

 _Reiner had drawn his knife, silent and swift as he had been trained to do so in the military, giving Bertolt no time to react as he drove the short blade into his friend's chest. Then into his neck. Then his forehead. All over his body, a shocked look frozen on Bertolt's face. Blood stained his face and hands and face and clothes, so much of it._

 _And then Reiner pushed him backwards, Bertolt's body now limp falling down with no resistance, almost tumbling down into the small mass of titans that always gathered beneath the wall, jaws open as their tiny, black eyes looked up, stupidly waiting for someone to fall. Reiner made sure not to let that happen, however. He was not about to make that mistake. The Colossal Titan would never live again._

 _He spirited the body away until he could later fully dispose of it in the middle of the night. Then he made a scene, letting out a roar of rage to alert the others as he flew down, slaying the titans, yelling to the others that they had eaten Bertolt._

 _Everyone had been devastated, of course. Reiner, the most out of all of them. And the grief was real. Bertolt and him had been close, like brothers, as his friend had said, and it was true._

 _He had burnt the body outside of the walls that night, far away enough that the fire could not be seen by the Garrison guards. The night was lit by a sliver of the moon, and in pure darkness, next to the dying embers, he scattered the ashes with tears in his eyes, the wind carrying them away into the night. There was be no more trace of Bertolt Hoover by the time the sun rose._

 _His gaze had hardened after a few moments of free-falling tears. The mission would never be completed, he would make sure of that._

 _"Bertolt," he had whispered, eyes now dry and gaze hard. "You were a good warrior. I won't let your memory die out, but I believe in different things now. I'm sorry. We were warriors for the wrong cause, and I'm going to try and fix that now. You were strong, determined, and hard working, and I'm going to be too."_

"I… refused. He got angry when I told him I wasn't going to do it anymore. He said that I didn't care about Mercel's sacrifice. I had grown to attached. I had grown weak. I had betrayed both you and him. That I had lost sight of what really mattered. He said he was going to do it without me or not. He really wanted to go home, Annie. That's all he wanted, but I killed him. I had too… We were hidden from sight, farther away from the others. I… I took my knife… "

"I killed him. I made sure of it. I told the others he had fallen, that the titans had devoured his body. They had no reason to suspect I was lying." He stopped, hesitating for a moment as he relived the scene in his head.

"And he was right, Annie." Reiner continued. I don't care about it. The mission doesn't matter to me anymore. Humanity isn't what we were told. They're so complex, and so what if emotions have made me attached to them. So what if emotions have made me just like them, because they're so different than the creatures we were commanded to destroy.

"For so long I didn't know what I was. Soldier for humanity or warrior against them. You and Bertolt didn't have any problems with it at all. I wondered what was wrong with me… but I know now what I am.

"I'm a soldier now, Annie, and I'm going to protect all of them. I don't care how weak it makes me look. Humans are… indescribable." His eyes were shining with passion at this point, and a faint smile was on his lips. "Even if all of them aren't perfect, they are worth saving."

His expression then hardened, the shine in his eyes turning to a dark glimmer as he stared down at her. "I'm not the Armoured Titan anymore. I'm not a titan shifter anymore. I'm Reiner Braun, a warrior for humanity. A normal, hard working soldier. You can choose to continue the mission, but I will stop you, Annie. These other soldiers are my comrades now, and I am going to protect them no matter what. I don't want this power. I'm never going to use it again.

"The Armoured Titan is dead."

His breath was coming hard and fast by the end of his speech, and he turned away, hands clenched in fists. "I just want you to know that, because furthering the mission will be a mistake as long as I'm alive. This is a warning to you, because I'm no longer at war with myself. I'm at war against the titans, and if you're going to be one of them, then I am also at war with you."

Annie was silent for a few moments. "Listen, Reiner, I only care about myself and my survival. The mission does not directly factor into that, so don't you worry. I have no problem with your decision to fight for what you believe in, but anyone who is a threat to my life is automatically my enemy. I want you to remember that."

Reiner nodded solemnly. "I understand. Make the right choice then, about what they tell you. Hopefully, I'll be seeing you later."

He exited the room, leaving Annie to once again stare at the ceiling.

 _I am driven purely on my will to survive, and I am proud of that. It's not a selfish goal; It's the only logical one in this type of world. Giving up this power is foolish, Reiner, but I do respect you for it. You're making yourself weak. It must be difficult, but I can see you've found a way to live with yourself._

 _Why respect the weak? Because they're easy to kill, of course, and they keep living despite that fact. It's interesting that I am now one of the weak, at whatever mercy my captors decide I deserve._

 _Even my father tried to be noble. Your only use was teaching me how to fight and to teach me not be weak like you. I saw how the world worked immediately when others still hoped. I saw the paradox of the military. The strong get to do nothing with their strength. How hopelessly naive you all are. I admire you, those who think they can try and change it, and then take it one step further, actually doing something. You had the guts to go against the tide._

 _But I'm not eager to try and change the world like you are. You're all driven by the urge to help the world, I'm am driven by the urge to live, and I'm strong enough to do so. If you think you're strong enough to make a difference, go right on ahead, but I'll make no effort to help unless it directly factors into my survival._


	6. What's Left of Us

**Hi again, Reader-chan! I already have so much of this written, and yet I'm not sure of the ending… see, I try and write 3,000 words a day, whether it be poetry or this fanfiction, and a large part of it either gets shuffled around or deleted. It's hard work, but I love it! Thanks again to all of you, and please enjoy!**

The sound of a door opening and several pairs of footsteps interrupted Annie's thoughts. She raised her head as far as she could to see Levi and Hange flanked by several fully geared soldiers, the latter swinging a pair of handcuffs around her finger. She reached the bedside and tilted her head to one side.

"Hey, Annie," she said slowly. "We're going somewhere, so try not to cause any trouble because a lot of the soldiers out there really do hate you and wouldn't hesitate to put a sword through your back."

Annie looked indifferently at the scientist, not reacting to her words. She looked around at the eight or so soldiers who were standing around the bed, seeing that most of them held her lazy gaze strongly.

"Including myself," Hange added, and then produced a small key before starting to release Annie's restraints, which only took a minute to unlock from the sides of the bed.

She slowly sat up, a light headed rush swirling her vision for a few seconds. The other guards in the room watched her with intense gazes but didn't move. She recognized none of them, but guessed that they were all Survey Corp.

"Oh, and we can't have you going anywhere like that." The scientist nodded at Annie, who was just wearing a sports bra and standard military trousers. Luckily, your roommate from the Military Police bought a few of your things."

She handed Annie a white hoodie, which the shifter put on quickly, not showing how this small act of what appeared to be kindness slightly surprised her.

Hange unlocked the handcuffs, and Annie crossed her hands behind her back, turning so Hange could put them on, a gesture that slightly surprised the scientist.

She locked them on Annie's small wrists, and the shifter stood, a bit shaky on her feet as she straightened up.

Wordlessly, Hange motioned for her to step forward, and as soon as Annie did, the other soldiers moved to surround her. Levi looked back to see that everyone was in proper formation and then started out the door.

They walked down a long corridor, coming to a spiral staircase whose end was not visible, as it curved around a stone wall, continuing upward. They started up them, Annie having to pause before they had reached the third level, not strong enough to continue. The soldiers stopped, waiting for her to gather enough strength to continue, some of them obviously pleased at the fact the Female Titan was weak, while others were surprised. They had all been expecting something different of her.

Eventually, they arrived at another long hallway, still deep underground, stopping as a group of soldiers walked past them, talking. The conversation stopped abruptly as they noticed the group of fully armed guards. Even though the guards his Annie from view, they knew who was being escorted here.

As the group of soldiers walked by, one of them spat at the ground in front of them, a sneer on his face. None of the guards reacted, though Levi looked disgustedly after them, making sure to remember that soldier lest he become a problem. He started forward again, leading them down the hallway.

A large pair of oaken doors seemed to lead to their destination, and two soldiers stepped forward to open them, the rest standing aside and posting themselves next to it, leaving only Hange and Levi to lead Annie inside.

The doors swung open, revealing a long, well lit room with stone pillars arching up to the ceiling to support it, an oblong, wooden table taking up most of the room.

The soldiers took up post outside the door. There were several men and woman seated around the table, all of them watching her with solemn gazes. She recognized a few of them by face but not by name, her gaze settling on Erwin at the head of the table. The 104th regiment stood against the back wall, and it was shocking to see how old they looked. Gazes darker, faces thinner, hair shorter, and expressions serious. Even Sasha and Connie looked solemn.

 _Has it really been only five months..._ Annie thought.

The two Survey Corp veterans sat, one at each side, at the left side, near the middle where everyone would be able to see Annie clearly. It was Erwin who spoke first, addressing her. She turned her head to look at him.

"Annie Leonhardt," Erwin started in his bass voice, "I have gathered you and all of our commanders to request many things of you. Current events other information will be explained to you in a few moments, as I am sure you have many questions. But first, I would like everyone to please introduce yourselves." He looked to his right, at an older looking bald man.

The man in question was currently taking a sip from a small flask. He looked up and wiped his mouth with a small smile. "I am Dot Pixis, Ms. Leonhardt," he said, voice serious but golden eyes twinkling. "Garrison Commander."

"Rico Brzenska," a gray haired woman said with a brisk tone. "I represent the Garrison as well."

A broad shouldered, stocky man with sandy hair spoke next. "Garrett Krause. I represent the non military personnel here.."

"Marlowe Sand. I represent the small amount of Military Police here," Marlowe said, his voice overly serious.

"Darius Zackly, Commander in Chief."He was a serious, older looking man, observing her over the bridge of his glasses.

A few more commanders and representatives introduced themselves, ending with Mike Zacharias, a squad leader, at Erwin's left.

"Alright, let's get to it," Erwin started. "It's been five months, almost six, since you sealed yourself within the crystal and the Survey Crop took custody of you. A lot has happened during this time period. Things have changed drastically.

"The location we are in is an old military base deep in the Forest of Giant Trees. This military base appears to have been built long before the walls were. The Survey Corp has known of this building for a long time, but it was dubbed useless, due to the fact that we are more than a day's journey away from the walls. However, we are using it now for multiple reasons, all of which will be explained in due time." He paused for a moment, waiting for Annie to absorb the information in, then continued.

"A few days after we took custody of you, we had planned to send the rest of the 104th Regiment who entered the Survey Corp, not including Jager, off to be observed under the guise of special training to find out of any of them were titan shifters, along with Squad Mike.

"However, before that could happen, the government put out an order for the Military Police to take custody of the 104th recruits on suspicion of being titan shifters. We took action immediately, taking the 104th recruits here secretly. The government was suspected we had done something with them, but could not prove anything. We told them the new trainees had been killed in action, and they began to mount a case against us in secret.

"Following that order, a new one came, decreeing that all titan shifters were to be executed on sight by either military personal or citizens. This lead to mass riots inside the walls until the government put a stop to it, taking the order back.

"This military base was only going to serve as a temporary camp until things died down, but eventually it was clear that the situation was only going to escalate. Things were becoming tense in between the Survey Corp and the Military Police. They wanted the location of Eren and the rest of the recruits, but could not prove that they were still alive. There was no record of them returning in the chaos after the 57th expedition.

"It was then we learned that a secret warrant had been sent out for the main leaders of the Survey Corp to be taken into custody by the Military Police and be interrogated. That was when we started planning out the rebellion, after finding out some shocking secrets about titans.

"We sent out soldiers to fortify and re-stock this base with food and weapons under the guise of our monthly expeditions, with each trip leaving soldiers there, reporting that they had been killed in action. Of course, they had grown suspicious, but nothing could be proved.

"It was then it was revealed that Krista Lenz is part of the royal bloodline, and the main goal of the rebellion became to install her as the queen inside the walls. She is the last living heir to the throne, and an illegitimate child. Her real name is Historia Reiss."

Erwin paused, studying Annie's features to gauge her reaction to this information, but finding her face to be impassive as ever.

"We spread word of our plans throughout the walls, gathering support until someone leaked the information to the interior, not all of it, but the fact that a military coup was in danger of being launched against the royal family, and the Military Police immediately sent out a public warrant for anyone suspected to be taking part in these activities. They were to be taken into custody. A warrant for Survey Corp veterans was sent out as well, but by then, all of them had been transported outside the walls.

"At this point, official warrants for myself, Hange, Levi, and Mike had not been sent out due to the fact that your escape was a big enough threat to the Military Police and Wall Cult, who seem to have a heavy influence on the government. We were still needed to break the crystal and act as guards, but to keep any eye on us, Nile Dok posted a large group of his soldiers at Survey Corp Headquarters.

"During the fourth month of your imprisonment, a law was passed for any citizen or soldier suspected of being a shifter to either be turned in or killed on sight. Plans were being constructed for the interior wall to close itself off from the outer wall. The nobles were growing steadily more oppressive.

"We were working harder than ever, preparing for inevitable moment when we would be discovered and we would have to move our operations completely outside the walls and prepare to launch our invasion. Citizens from both above and underground who wished to aid us were taken to this base, including a few Military Police and a large part of the Garrison. Our movements were very obvious, and we were only a few days away from when all hell would break lose, and that's when Hange figured out how to break the crystal, putting all operations to a halt. I sent word to the base for a team to get you out of there immediately; Nile Dok had already requested custody of you.

"Right after you were discovered missing, the dam finally broke. The interior wall was closed off and gates opened for the slaughter of the citizens by the titans outside. The nobles effectively halved the population once more.

"We were only able to rescue and seal off two, and since then, our goal has been to take them back one by one until we have enough ground to launch our coup and storm the interior, finally giving Historia the throne.

"Right now, we possess about 2,000 soldiers, including citizens who have been trained to fight, a large amount of them coming from the Garrison and citizens from the walls.

"Understand that we are possibly planning for a full out war here, against our own species and not against the one outside of the walls. Humanity has been wrongly divided against itself, and we are going to fix that mistake.

"Now, this is where you come in, Annie.

"Every few weeks, small expeditions are sent out to get supplies from the walls as well as to clear the area around here of titans. Eren Jager had made much progress in controlling and shifting into his titan form, but he is still generally uncontrolled and uncoordinated. He assists us on theses missions, luring and then killing the titans.

"The area was teeming with titans, and although we manged to clear most of them within a 20 yard radius of the base, they are strongly attracted to such a large group of humans this deep into their territory. A large percent of our manpower goes to killing titans that get to close. There are traps all over the forest, made to catch titans before they get close. Escape is not an option for both the number of titans and the traps.

"If the coup comes to large scale battle within the interior, you would be our ace-in-the-hole. No one inside the walls knows what has happened to you.

"In short, we would like you to train Eren Jager and fight alongside us, under several conditions.

"If you agree to assist us, you will not be pressed to release any information about yourself, titans, or anything else. No torture or any other interrogation methods will be inflicted upon you. Any release of information to us will be because of your decision and no one else's. You will be treated as a soldier for humanity once more. I know for a fact that your survival is what matters the most to you, and this is the best way to ensure it."

Annie tilted her head slightly to the side as the room went silent, everyone's eyes upon her.

"My survival is what matters the most to me," she said clearly, "and if fighting for humanity is what will keep me alive, then I suppose I have no choice."

Her voice was a shock to most in room. Whatever they had been expecting this monster to sound like, the rough, harshness of her voice had not been it.

Erwin nodded, sitting back. "Of course, you will still be a prisoner of the Survey Corp, and we are not going to believe what you say just like that. There will be a minimum of four soldiers with you at all time. Any suspicion that you are planning to assault a soldier or escape will be treated as another attack upon humanity, and serious consequences will be the result. We are not playing games here, Leonhardt."

"I understand that," Annie said, her voice solemn, but possessing an undertone of dryness. "And I agree to these terms."

"Then you will no longer be treated as an enemy of humanity. All of us are willing to put aside our emotions for the survival of our species in such a dire situation.

"Squad Leader Hange will be permitted to perform experiments upon you and your titan form, but none of these experiments will be anything different than what she was allowed to do to Jager.

"But, let me tell you something, Leonhardt, if you are lying, or if this is some type of ploy you think will assist in your escape from us, you are gravely mistaken. Not one person in this base would hesitate to kill you, so if you're trying to plan something, it won't work. This situation is the most serious humanity has even been in."

Annie nodded once. _So they're going to accept my cooperation just like that, though it probably won't be that easy to gain their trust. Things are really bad, but I shouldn't care, though with no where to go, inside the walls and out, I have no where to go._

"Anything else to say," the Commander asked.

"Yes. If I am to be training Eren, then I will need to see what he can and cannot do in his titan form to get a feel of where his limits are."

"That can be arranged in a few days. Any attempt to shift without permission from Levi, Hange, Mike, or myself will be treated as an hostile act. We all know for a fact that you will not shift by accident or lose control. You are an experienced and well coordinated shifter, so playing that card will fail you.

"As you have probably guessed, there will be several people who will wish to speak to you, and you can refuse them if you'd like. The guards posted at your room are not only there to protect us from you. You will not be expected to participate in daily training, and going outside of your cell without your guards is forbidden. Does anyone else have anything to add?"

Rico tapped the surface of the table once to get Annie's attention, catching Annie's eyes in a fierce, firm glare. 'I've only gone along with this because I believe saving humanity is our best hope, but I do not wish for any of my soldiers to be slaughtered, do I make myself clear?" Her voice was cold and curt; Rico Brzenska was a military woman through and through, and once she committed to an operation, she would stay with until she died or it succeeded, and she was not going to commit to one that would certainly fail.

She remembered the last "impossible" operation she had taken part of, Eren sealing the hole in the wall. She remembered the loyal, brave soldiers she had seen die there, ones she had know since her trainee days. She remembered the tears that pricked her eyes after the mission had succeeded, the overwhelming emotion that they had just done the impossible.

Rico pictured the Garrison soldiers she still knew, the ones that were waiting for her to walk out of this room and tell them that they would be relying on the word of a psychopath. A mass murderer.

"So, make sure you mean what you say, Ms. Leonhardt," Rico continued, "because all of us aren't just in this for our own selfish goals."

"Enough," Pixis said, firm enough that Rico would hear him, but soft enough that only she would.

Her eyes flashed, but she refrained from saying anything more.

"I can assure you that my 'own selfish goals' are enough to keep me fighting as long as it directly ties into my survival," Annie said, keeping her gaze level with Rico's. Her voice took on a slightly cynical tone.

Erwin cleared his throat. "And now, do you have anything else you'd like to add, any information you'd like to share with us, Leonhardt?"

Annie's eyes flicked across the back wall of the room, across the faces of the 104th recruits, and for a second, several faces that had not been there before appeared next to those of the living. _Well, maybe not completely for my own selfish reasons. I do owe it to them to fight, if that is only a small part of my motivation._

"Are these all of the soldiers recruited into the Survey Corp from the 104th training squad," she asked, her eyes flicking over Reiner's.

His gaze was blank but still bored into hers. She knew what he was silently telling her. Reiner was silently telling her tell them what he had told her back in the room. Two facts he had made perfectly clear to her.

"Yes," Erwin answered, leaning forward and crossing his hands on the table. "Why do you ask?"

"Then," Annie said, locking her eyes with Erwin's, "I can tell you with complete confidence that the Armoured and Colossus Titans are dead."


	7. All I Have

**Hello! Again, thank you to all of my readers! I worry that I can't write other characters that good. And Eren is one of them. Please enjoy! :3**

Her words sent a shock-wave of murmurings among the occupants of the room. Eren took a step forward as if to say something, but a glare from Levi made him step back against the wall. Erwin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and crossing his hands in front of his face. His steady gaze reflected Annie's.

"You're absolutely sure of this," he said slowly.

"I wouldn't waste my breath lying to you," Annie said. It was unclear whether the cynical undertone in her voice was directed at him or not.

"I don't think she's lying, Commander," Hange said, not sure if she was excited or not. If Leonhardt was really telling the truth, then that meant there were two less enemies to fight, but two less titans to study and learn from. She could tell Erwin was thinking along the same lines.

Erwin nodded. "Same here. Well, Leonhardt, that information is much appreciated. Do you have anything else you'd like to tell us?"

Annie shook her head once. "No."

"Alright. Your guards will now escort you back to your room. We're going to take a day or two to prepare some things before you'll need to keep your word. Meals and other anything else you need will be delivered to you."

Levi stood, and Annie took that as a cue for her to do so as well, the Corporal leading her out the door.

Once she had exited Erwin motioned for the 104th recruits to leave as well.

"Hange, I want you and your squad to set up the harpoon traps in the clearing. Do it tonight, if possible."

"Consider it done," the Squad Leader said.

"Everyone else, report the details of this meeting to your soldiers as soon as possible," Erwin said. "But just the bare minimum, however. I know that some of you are going to have objections, and before you voice them, let me say that no, I do not fully trust Annie Leonhardt's answer, but I do believe that she wants to survive more than anything, and keeping her survival tied to our main goals will ensure that she will continue to cooperate with us.

"I know how risky accepting her into our ranks is, but having her as an ally is better than as an enemy, especially if we hope to utilize her further. Rest assured, she will be well guarded."

Rico nodded. "As long as we keep that in mind, I think things will go smoothly."

"I must also ask that you tell your soldiers to treat Leonhardt as a soldier. I know that most of them will treat her as an enemy, but make sure they don't go out of their way to purposefully attack her.

"I realize that they will probably never see her as an ally of humanity, or even as someone they would be willing to work with, but for the sake of humanity, they're going to have to."

The other occupants of the room nodded in agreement.

"I still am not fully on board with this plan,"Darius said, "but I trust your judgment, Commander Smith. All of us in this room are hesitant to go along with this, but all of us want to fight for humanity."

"I understand. A large part of the reason that there are so many soldiers here if because of your support. I must ask you to voice any doubts either here, or find me in my office," Erwin said.

"Hopefully, once we retake the walls, with two shifters and a large amount of soldiers at our side, the Survey Corp can go back to fighting the titans," Hange said. "I don't like this one bit, having to put aside our goals to fight our own damn species."

"No one likes it," Marlowe said, "but at least it's something we know we can handle."

Erwin nodded. "Alright, anything else?"

No one else spoke.

"Brzenska, I want you to take Squad Six along with Squad Hange to check the traps and clear out any titans. If no one else has anything else to say, then you are all dismissed. You know where to find me if you come up with any objections," Erwin said.

He got up, walking to the doors, the rest of officers following him out and going their separate ways.

0~o~0

Eren made his way down the stairs, an unwavering, determined look in his eyes. He should be allowed to see her; who was the one who took her down and beat the Female Titan? It was him, and the Corporal was treating him like he would have some kind of mental break down if he was able to see Annie.

 _I'm not weak like that._ There was a touch of resentment in his thoughts. _I'm capable of talking to her. What, does Levi think I'll get angry or something? I won't. Anymore._

He remembered how Annie had looked when Levi and Hange had escorted her to the meeting room. Lean, gaunt even, and tired. And even though it seemed impossible, weak. But despite all that, she still looked bored, and it seemed as if to him that feigning disinterest was her natural defense mechanism. A perfect poker face was something he had never managed to keep for long.

He paused on the steps, next to a flickering torch, stopping to think. He had to answer this question now. A question he had asked himself so many times now.

 _Do I hate her?_

The answer was no, originally. He had been upset, confused, and betrayed. Annie had actually… been somewhat nice to him, sharing her thoughts occasionally, on humanity and the military, and teaching him the skill of a martial art she had told him was called Muay Thai.

 _No, I can't hate someone that was once a comrade to me. I can't hate her, no matter what. I only the titans, and even if she is one of them, she's not now. She's going to fight with us and fix everything-_

The deaths of the Levi Squad's members flashed through his head, making him grimace and hold onto his head, leaning against the cool, rough wall.

 _Damn it, Annie? Why? How am I not supposed to hate you!? How am I not supposed to view you as a monster, a cold blooded, unfeeling killer?! That look in your eyes- don't look at me that way! I don't want to fight…_

Hands shaking, he sank slowly to the floor, head in his hands.

 _What am I supposed to do!? Can't we go back to the trainee days when the world was in black and white!? Titans and humans, the soldiers and the cowards, the good and the bad… you messed it up, Annie! You ruined all of it! And now everything's gone to hell!_

 _How am I not supposed to want to tear you apart again!? No one will tell me what to do… why won't anyone tell me what to do?! How am I supposed to know what to do…_

 _The dirt of our training field was holy ground, and I wish we could go back. Damn it, Annie. I know I'll get no answers, but at least talk to me._

Eren knew that talking with Annie would yield no answers, only create more. He was trying to understand her so bad, and it was driving him near insane. However, if she was truly agreeing to work with them... maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

He took a deep breath and steadied the tremors shaking his hands and then stood, smoothing down his uniform. He resumed his trip down the stairs, trailing one hand along the wall as he descended. A few minutes later, a guard escorted an angry looking man up past him. Eren paid no attention to them, walking purposely forward, and he eventually reached the bottom, and was relieved to see Mikasa standing guard. She looked slightly surprised to see him.

"Eren… "

He heard the hesitation in her voice; was his sister going to let him talk to Annie?

"Mikasa, you know why I'm here," he said. "Are you going to let me in, or not?" His voice came out harsher than he meant it to.

"I'm not going to stop you; you have the right just as anyone else does, but she's been refusing to speak with anyone for the last hour," Mikasa said, choosing her words carefully. "Are you allowed to?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, Eren... just don't lose control. It's not worth it getting worked up over her. You're not allowed to get within a yard of her. I'll be watching."

Eren nodded and walked over to the door, studying Annie through the barred window. "Hey, Annie…"

0~o~0

Annie had been refusing visitors all day. Or it could have been all night; she had no idea what the time was. The idea of food made her feel sick to her stomach, and she had neglected to eat the cold meal on the dresser at the side of the small bed. She sat on it, leaning against the bed frame, knees drawn to her chest. Both hands were chained to the floor by a long string of thick, metal links, allowing her some movement. It was, at least, better than being tied to the bed itself.

People had come in all day, yelling threats and obscenities before being forcefully escorted from outside her room by one of the soldiers. It was just after another person had been escorted away that someone walked inside

There had been the low, tense murmur of voices outside, and then familiar tones sounded through the door.

"Hey, Annie…"

She looked up for a second, seeing Eren. She waited for him to continue.

"Are you going to talk to me?"

Annie thought for a moment. She shrugged once. "Sure."

Eren looked behind him, at someone Annie couldn't see, and then he stepped back, enabling his sister to unlock the door. Her gaze promised bloody threats if anything was to happen to Eren.

This was amusing to Annie, somehow.

Eren stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He took a step forward, then seemed to decide against it. He didn't seem to know what to do with his arms, placing them at his sides, then crossing them, and then finally stuffing them in his pockets.

"Annie-"

She cut him off immediately. "Before you ask anything, I'm probably not going to answer most of your questions, so it's best not to bother asking."

"Ok…"

Neither of them spoke for a solid two minutes, and Eren seemed to be gathering enough strength to speak to her. He sighed once, and then spoke.

"... So are you against humanity or for it, now," he asked.

"Hmmm… I don't know," Annie answered matter of factly.

"What does that even mean?" Eren half shouted.

"What _does_ it mean?" Annie asked, crossing one leg over the other. It was unclear whether she was purposefully being cynical to infuriate Eren or not.

"Damn it, Annie, give me a straight answer," Eren says, gritting his teeth.

"How about you ask me a question I can give a straight answer to?"

"Why?" Eren asked, crossing and then uncrossing his arms.

"I can't answer that."

"Meaning you don't want to answer that."

"True," Annie said, her voice level, never rising or falling.

There was silence; it seemed Eren didn't know what to say next. He breathed out slowly.

"C'mon, Annie… why?"

"I had a mission, that's all I'll say."

Her answer made him almost explode for a second time. "A mission that you waited for years to complete!? Those years we spent training, why wait!? We were alone together so many times! I don't get it!"

"We didn't know you were the mission until then."

Eren leaned against the wall, contemplating the answer. "Ok, fine."

Silence soon invaded the room, making the air heavy and tense, though Annie appeared unbothered by it. She had expected Eren to be more angry, but it looked like he had been able to get his frustration under control. He had matured, it seemed.

It was a strange conversation, a jolting, halting talk, almost abstract in the way one participant would ruin the flow of words with a simple line. Finally, Eren spoke, his voice softer this time. It was also flat, and he made sure to stare directly at her.

"You killed a lot of people."

"I know." She responded immediately, as soon as he had finished the sentence, and her sudden answer ruined his train of thought. It was a few seconds before Eren started to talk again.

"I can't forgive that-"

"No one can."

"I can't forget that-"

"No one could."

Eren ran one hand through his hair, looking around the small room. "Since day one, even before I knew how horrible humans could be, I wanted to go outside the walls, those silent, giant guards that protected us from danger with solemn faces. They were worshipped like gods because they seemed to be supernatural. Always there, in your line of sight, at the back of your mind. Casting a bigger shadow than intended.

"And then when I found out how rotten and selfish the people around me could be, I still wanted to fight for now, when those bastards have cut the population in half again, hiding themselves behind those walls, I'll still fight for them, because when I die, I'm not going to leave behind a world solely populated by titans. I refuse to. I'm going to die and leave behind a world where humans are here alone, where there's no need for walls or even 3Dgear, and as long as I'm alive and fighting, not one more titan will enter the walls.

"I can work with you, fight with you, be a comrade with you once again, but only if I think I can trust you. Humanity is at its worst now, and because of that, we're going to have to be at our best. I'm glad you're on our side now.

"So, Annie, when we're finally ready to fight. To launch our attack on our own species, you'd better make it clear whether you're a titan or not."

Eren stood there with his mouth open, as if to say more, a slight look of shock on his face, as if he wasn't sure what he had just said. He finally shook his head once, as if to clear it, looking down at the floor.

"Interesting speech, Eren."

HIs gaze snapped up to hers. Annie had crossed her arms, her head tilted to one side.

"But let me stop you before you get to far. See, I don't want you to get caught up in any of your delusions."

Eren stepped forward, opening his mouth indignantly, but Annie snapped her fingers, effectively shushing him.

"I've said too many times, in my opinion, but I think you need reminding. Let me make this clear before you go on: I'm not on your side. I'm on my side, and my side alone. I don't fight for you. I don't fight for Erwin. I don't fight for freedom. I don't fight for humanity. I don't fight for the titans. I fight for myself, and for that alone.

"Now, it may seem like a selfish goal, but if you put in perspective, my life is really all I have. All I have to bargain, give, take, or protect. Don't try and delude yourself by trying to fix everyone else's moral compass. Remember that, Eren, and we'll understand each other just fine."

This appeared to shut him up for a few moments, and Eren didn't respond.

"Anything else you want to ask," Annie said.

"Oh… uh, yeah. So, you're really going to train me to control my titan form better?" Eren asked, his voice a bit brighter now that the subject of the conversation had receded into a hopefully less tense topic.

"That's what I said."

"So, would you be able to teach me how to use that crystal ability to harden my skin while fighting?"

"No. I don't think your titan form possesses that ability. It's not something I can teach you to do. Oh, and make sure to tell this to that insane woman … Hange. I'm not going to answer a bunch of questions about titans," Annie said.

"And… I was wondering, would you still be able to teach me now to fight, like before? I've, uh, been practicing."

Annie could've smiled at this, but she didn't. "Sure, though I'm not sure it'll be allowed."

"Well, anyway, Annie. I guess… if you're going to help save humanity, I think you can start to try and make up for what you did. I don't know if it'll change what I think of you, because, honestly, I don't know what I think of you. I guess… I have one more question."

Annie waited for him to continue.

"I doubt this one'll get an answer, but… do you think our morality is defined by our actions or what's in our hearts?"

"No one can see what's in your heart, so they judge you by your actions," Annie said, her voice flat. "That's all I have to say about that."

"I think our actions reflect what's in our-"

There was the sound of a low conversation outside, and it quickly grew loud and angry. The door suddenly burst open, and someone stormed in.

Eren turned around, and he took a step back when he saw who had entered. Corporal Levi.

"Sir!-"

"Jager. Out. Now." Levi's deathly calm voice was a sign that he was furious. His eyes flashed.

"But Corporal! There's no problem-"

"Did I say you could see the fucking titan?" Levi asked, closing the space in between him and Eren in a matter of seconds.

"No, but, I was talking-"

"You idiot. I never gave you permission to talk to her. Get out, now."

Eren gritted his teeth. "Nothing happened, Corporal. I don't know why you're angry at me. Yeah, I disobeyed orders, b-"

"Exactly, Jager. You disobeyed me. And you're still disobey _ing_ me. I told you to get out of her cell," Levi snapped.

"I was talkin-"

"I don't need to hear about you goddamn heart to heart with this beast. She's not going to tell you anything but lies. Nothing."

"You don't-"

Levi grabbed Eren by the front of his shirt and threw him out the door, slamming it shut behind him. Angered shouting ensued as Mikasa got involved.

Annie was frozen for a moment, and then she shook her head once. _Don't even try, Eren._ She stretched her legs out and leaned against the head board, hearing the sounds of a struggle, most likely Eren succumbing to his anger and Mikasa carrying him away. A shout echoed through the hallway.

0~o~0

"What the hell?! There's no reason fo-"

"I told you, Jager. Neither the Commander or myself granted you permission to see her," Levi said, his voice low and furious, tossing Eren into the hallway. He stumbled back and slammed into the wall.

Mikasa started forward, a dark look in her eyes. "You told me you were allowed in, Eren. To try and talk to a heartless monster."

"Dammit. We were in the middle of a conversation," Eren growled, standing. "I didn't lose control or anything. You were worried for nothing!"

"Upstairs, Jager. Now," Levi said. "Go."

"There's no use talking to a titan," Mikasa said flatly, grabbing Eren by the back of his shirt when he opened his mouth the object and walking him to the stairs. "You would have destroyed our last hope, _you_ , if you had gotten angry and transformed, for a useless conversation. You remember how she killed them all, and then laughed when we found her out. Use your common sense, Eren. You don't even have a reason to believe anything she says."

"Dammit, Mikasa!" Eren said, jerking away from her. He placed one foot on the first stair, and then looked back, meeting Mikasa and Levi's eyes, and then turning his gaze to that small, barred window.

"If there was nothing in her heart, she would have done nothing!"

And with that, he started up the stairs, hands clenched into tight fists, passing Krista as he walked up.

0~o~0

 _Well, your logic is rock solid, Eren_ , Annie thought, listening as Levi left and Mikasa resumed her position.


	8. Princess

**Yo! I guess… uh, the only thing I have to say is thank you! I just read all available chapters of Attack on Titan, and wow...none of that has happened in my fanfic...I unknowingly avoided all of that..wow this is gonna be complicated... I've confused myself! ;-; I guess I'll have to alter some things.**

 **Anyway, please enjoy!** **(This conversation was so fun to write! XD But I can't write Krista well. Or Annie, specifically her in this conversation -_-)**

Krista passed Eren and then Levi a few moments later, shrinking to the side of the stairwell; both of them had stormy looks on their faces. Two soldiers followed her down; her guards. She found them extremely annoying, as did Ymir.

"Oh… did something happen?" Krista asked, reaching the bottom step. She held a water skin. "I just saw Eren and Levi… neither of them looked happy."

"It was nothing." Mikasa said flatly. "You want to see her?"

"Yes, if it's allowed; I know that others have been turned away," Krista said, walking over to the door.

"Good luck with that," Mikasa said, staring straight forward. Her thoughts were on Eren, as they usually were. Her guard duty ended in a few hours, and when it did, she would be speaking with him.

Krista passed Mikasa and stood up on her tiptoes to look through the window. "Hi, Annie…can we talk?"

Annie showed no sign that she could hear Krista, gazing at the wall uninterestedly. She had one leg crossed over the other, her head turned slightly away from the door.

"I wanna say some things to you," Krista said, her voice hesitate.

Still, no response from the blond sitting inside the room.

"Annie…" Krista's voice rose in volume.

She was ignored once more.

"At least say something!" Krista's frustrated voice suddenly turned sharp and demanding. "So you're just going to turn your head and ignore me after everything you've done? Stop sitting there uselessly, Annie. I know you can hear me, so stop pretending like you can't. You owe it to everyone to talk, so open your mouth and say something!"

There was a fierce look in her innocent, blue eyes, and her small hands were curled into tight fists. She looked shocked, as if she couldn't believe the harsh words that had come out of her mouth in the outburst.

Annie couldn't believe them either. Sweet, innocent Krista had never spoken with such a tone. She turned her head to look at the small blond, a smile creeping onto her face. A light, airy laugh escaped her lips, slightly mocking.

"As you wish, your majesty," she said, a cynical tone to her words. She stopped chuckling.

Krista stood there for a few minutes, mouth half open in surprise. Had that really just happened? It was, perhaps, the most unexpected thing.

"Don't just stand there, princess. You wanted to talk, right," Annie said, her face blank but voice smirking.

Krista nodded slowly, standing back so Mikasa could unlock the door. She walked in after a few moments, standing against the wall. "Annie, how are you?"

"Wonderful, princess. I hope you understand why I can't get up and curtsy."

Krista bristled, a pouty scowl twisting its way onto her features. "Would you stop it?"

"If that's a royal decree, then I suppose I have no choice," Annie said, her voice perfectly even. If Krista hadn't known better, she would have thought that the girl in front of her was perfectly serious. Not even her eyes glinted with amusement; they were dull.

"I never thought you'd be this infuriating," Krista sighed, crossing her arms. "And to think I was going to try and be nice."

"It Krista or Historia?" Annie asked, looking like her usual bored self, but in actuality, she was interested about how the sweet girl in front of her was royalty; it was the only reason she was even participating in this conversation.

"Does it really matter? Krista never existed?" And as she speaks those words, she remembers a conversation with Eren from only a few weeks ago.

They were waiting for their shift on guard duty to end; the sun was just setting and they would be relieved by a couple of veterans in a few minutes.

"Why don't you go by Historia," Eren asked suddenly, "if that's your real name?"

There was no answer but the soft wind ruffling their hair, carrying a warm, summer breeze, and Eren wondered if maybe that wasn't a question that he should've asked her, He opened his mouth to apologize, but Krista started to speak.

"Historia Reiss was a lonely little girl who knew nothing of love but what she read in the books. The same way you longed for the outside world after reading about it, the same way I longed for some kind kind of loving contact.

"Krista Lenz, however, was someone who could've been the heroine in any number of stories. I'd rather be her for a day than my other, empty self for a lifetime."

She took a step forward and grasped the edge of the stone wall with her small hands. "I renounce the surname Riess."

Eren was quiet for a few moments. He stepped to the edge of the tower along with her, staring out into the lengthening shadows.

"I kind of liked you as Historia, though," he said. "To be honest, I didn't like you much before. You were willing to do anything to keep the peace in between us as recruits, even if it was just ice-thin. It seemed forced, and from what you've told me, it looks to me like you're caught in between your two personas, trying to make yourself one or the other. If you like Krista so much, then make her how you want to be. Historia to me is a painfully honest person."

"Is everything so simple in your eyes," Krista sighs.

"I try to make it that way," Eren murmured, "but it never turns out that way."

"Historia reminds you of her, doesn't she," Krista said, turning her head to watch the sun set.

There was no need to ask who 'she' was.

"A little," Eren confessed, "but I'd rather you be you. Don't be having an identity crisis in the middle of this big mess."

"I'll try," Krista said, smiling softly to herself.

"Am I getting an answer," Annie asked, jerking Krista out of her memory.

"I would prefer Krista," she said stiffly. "I've become quite attached to my persona, and for good reason. It's much better than what I would have been."

"And what would have been," Annie asked.

"Someone much worse than you, I would think. I'll be happy to see my family off the throne," Krista said.

After that, the conversation stopped for a while, and Krista rekindled it with her usual kindness.

"I brought you some water, Annie."

"Not thirsty."

"Not hungry either, I see." Krista said, her voice growing tight.

"Didn't feel like eating. I'm interested in knowing how all of this happened. You, the child of the king," Annie said.

"I'll tell you if you drink some water," Krista said.

"And I'm supposed to be the frustrating one here? Stop being nice, that's infuriating," Annie said dryly. "But fine."

"See, that wasn't hard." Krista walked over to her beside, handing the water skin to Annie.

"You're breaking the rules," Annie said before taking a drink. "Not supposed to get this close."

"I'm the queen. I can break the rules," Krista said, her voice taking on a slightly mocking tone, though it was not directed at Annie.

"You're the queen only when it suits you, more like it," Annie said, handing the water skin back to Krista.

"True, and it works," Krista said, turning curtly and making her way back to the other end of the room. "My mother was a servant in the king's household, then she became his mistress, and then I became a mistake. Simple as that."

One would respect there to be resentment in her voice, in the way she said it, short and to the point, but there was none. Her words were empty, as was her eyes when she told the story.

"He wanted nothing to do with me, of course, and neither did my mother, and finally, he was actually going to accept me into the royal family, but questions were asked, I was to be killed. It was decided that I was to take a new name and die in the military instead.

"Krista Lenz is a fake person, but I like her far more than my hollow self. Maybe I can gain a new personality as queen."

"A short story would suffice. No need to go in depth about your feelings," Annie said, raising one eyebrow. This was more interesting than she had initially thought.

"It's much easier to tell a stranger your secrets," Krista said curtly.

"Ah, so I'm a stranger," Annie said, pondering the words. '

"None of us know you now," Krista reminded Annie.

"Maybe I can make myself a new person, like you, princess," Annie said, pretending to muse over the prospect.

"Stop calling me princess," Krista said rather forcefully.

"Sorry," Annie apologized slowly, letting the word roll of of her tongue. There was that cynical tone again. "Should it be queen, or perhaps I should address you as your majesty, with a nod of my head for a bow?"

"Maybe making yourself a new personality wouldn't hurt," Krista snapped, and then cut herself off quickly. Her voice softened. "Would you please stop calling me princess?"

"Only because I don't fancy it being 'off with my head' when all's said and one," Annie said. She was actually enjoying the conversation. Strange.

"No one's going to kill you unless you go back to being our enemy," Krista sighed. "As long as you're fighting with us-"

"I had the same conversation with Eren. I'm not on your side," Annie said. If the conversation was going to turn in this direction, she would grow bored with it.

"Fine. I'm not going to go on about the good inside of you, even though I know there is some," Krista said. "You might think you're just helping to survive, but I don't think that's the whole story."

"Anything else you want to say?" Annie asked.

"I have many questions, but I have a feeling I'm not going to get any answers to most of them," Krista said, "but I guess I want to know, truthfully, will I be able to trust you?"

"Depends on the situation," Annie said coolly. "If helping someone doesn't directly correspond with my usefulness to the Survey Corp, then I'll do nothing at all. Simple as that."

"Good to know…" Krista filed that information away for later. "I guess that's all, then." She turned to leave. See you, Annie," Krista sighed.

"This was fun," Annie said. "Let's do it again, sometime. I'll be right here."

Krista gave no response. "I'm done here, Mikasa.

Mikasa nodded and then unlocked the door. Krista walked out, shaking her head once.

That was stranger than I thought it would be, she sighed. And after that, you're even more of a mystery, Annie.

0~o~0

"Well, Armin?"

Several pairs of eyes peered intently at him. Their faces were so close to his, bodies leaning over meals to look closely.

"I don't know why you're asking me," Armin said, pushing back slightly. "I haven't even seen her yet."

"But you're the smart one," Sasha pointed out. "So, let's hear it."

"Wait, why not," Connie asked at the same time.

"My question first," Sasha said, digging her elbow into Connie's side. "It's the one we all want to know, so ask yours later."

"Hold up, I wanna know both," Ymir said.

"Same here," Krista added.

Reiner and Mikasa nodded.

"Alright fine. I'll answer your questions," Armin sighed. Honestly, it was just his speculation at this point in time, yet his fellow 104th graduates seemed to think that anything that came out of his mouth was a fact.

"First off, no, I don't think Annie's lying," he began, holding up a hand to quiet those who were about to object. "But neither do I think we should trust her. I'm glad she's going to help us, but there's no telling that she won't attempt to escape when she sees any opening, which is why we can't give her one.

"However, a dog isn't loyal to a master that prevents it from running away because he's scared of it. We need to show Annie that were willing to trust her, but only when she proves we can. Everyone has the potential to be a good need to play it safe."

Not missing a beat, Connie repeated his earlier question. "Why didn't you go to see her? Thought that would be something you would have done, and I bet you have a ton of questions."

"Most of which won't be answered," Armin finished. "She looked tired to me. So many people have already gone to see her. She's most likely wanting some space right now. I know I'd be a bit overwhelmed with this new information, and from the way your conversation went," Armin nodded at Krista, "she sounded pretty annoyed. None of us really know anything about her past intentions, but she seems to be pretty clear on what she wants."

It was at that moment Eren stormed into the mess hall, and from the look in his eyes, his friends knew immediately how unhappy he was. He threw himself down beside Mikasa, crossing his arms with a dark look.

"Woah, Eren, what's up with you. Ya look pissed off," Ymir asked, a hint of a smirk in her voice as usual.

"Was it Annie? Or Levi?" Krista asked, speaking over Ymir.

"Levi," Eren said darkly, grabbing a piece of bread off of Jean's plate and ignoring the angry shout of protest. He bit into it, tearing a piece off with his teeth with a sneer.

Armin lifted a hand to place it on his friend's shoulder, but then seemed to think against it. He hadn't seen Eren this angry in a few months; he was more mellow now that the world was smaller. Darker. Crueler.

Mikasa didn't sigh, but her change in demeanor did not go unnoticed by Armin. Her eyes closed just a fraction; her shoulders fell just a bit in a silent sigh.

She knows what's gotten into him, Armin thought. He leaned forward to look over at Eren. "So, Eren, if you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"If you don't mind, Armin, I really don't feel like having this conversation," Eren began, leaving the sentence unfinished.

In front of everyone, Armin finished it in his head. He gave a small nod to Eren, and then turned his attention back to the others at the table. "So, Jean, what do you think?

All attention at the table turned to him. Jean let out a long breath, running one hand through his two-toned hair. "I'm going to keep my blades ready," he said after a few moments, "because I don't know what to think yet. I didn't know Annie then, and I certainly don't know her now. I saw that cruelty firsthand when she killed those soldiers, and I don't want her to have that chance again.

"So, I'm going to keep my blades ready," he repeated, finishing his thoughts.

Armin nodded. "Anyone else have an opinion to share?" At this point, I feel like some type of therapist, he realized. But there can't be any large disagreements to divide us at this point in time, when things are the way they are.

"My thoughts are in the same place as Jean's," Connie shrugged. "I can't be as angry at her as most of the other soldiers here; no one close to me died. I just want everything to turn out ok, and if Annie can help us do that, then we're going to work with her. It's simple as that."

"No, it's not that simple," Jean said, gritting his teeth. "She could turn on us and kill you in a second. Half of the Survey Corp's best soldiers couldn't fight her. What makes you think we'll last for more than a minute in a fight against the Female Titan? I wouldn't trust her at all."

Before Connie could reply, Armin cut in. "Guys, this is exactly what we need to avoid. We can;t be arguing with we're accepting someone this dangerous back into our ranks."

Reiner finally entered the conversation. "Listen, we've all fought and survived with each other; we know we can trust one another to the end. Nothing can change that." He looked at all of their faces, and nobody contradicted him.

"Reiner's right guys," Sasha interjected. "If there's danger, no one's going to be standing by the sidelines."

Almost everyone nodded in agreement.

0~o~0

She could feel a few sets of eyes on her, and made sure not to stir. Fake-sleeping was something she had easily perfected over the years, when nightmares left her wide awake and shaking. It was a different way of perfecting control over her mind and body, especially when her bunkmate's maternal concern was so tempting.

If Annie had to guess, it was night. The torches in the hallway, from what she could see, were burned down low, making a soft orange light creep into her room. It was both slightly comforting and unsettling, and even more so of the latter with the voices outside, low and threatening.

"Hey, titan, come on out here and fight me. C'mon, I'm sure a midget like you could land a few hits on my knees."

Whispers, chuckles, a low, dirty insult concerning how she was just tall enough the provide some pleasure.

A snicker and low mutterings. Then laughter. From what she could hear, there were four of them, one female and the rest male. It had started an hour ago, with cat calls and insults and loud voices.

The guard didn't object, even offering a degrading comment once in awhile. They were more annoying than offensive; she'd thought most of what they'd said, and understood why they were saying such things. It was so stupid: to them, she was sleeping and not hearing anything. There was no reaction. Couldn't they at least wait until day so she could infuriate them with dead eyes and cold ignorance? She was good at pretending people weren't there. The fact that this wasn't fun for them somehow made them even more annoying, somehow.

"All of you, out now."

The voice was soft and sharp. It was partnered with a gaze that was somehow uncaring but so judgmental.

"We're not doing anything that's not allowed," one of them said smugly. "No rule against it." The answer had obviously been prepared before hand, and was delivered confidently.

"Out," Mikasa repeated the order, punctuating it with a glare. She moved her hand to the hilt of her sword, unamused, walking to the door to assume her position. "I'm not going to ask you again."

The soldiers looked at one another, and then simultaneously hurried to the stairs. She watched them leave and then turned to look into the room. Two piercing eyes studied her.

"That was unnecessary."

"They were annoying."

"Unneeded."

"So, you enjoyed that?"

"Not particularly."

"Need a lullabye to get to sleep now?"

"Maybe."

There was a challenge in both of their voices, a tone that both of them enjoyed, and the conversation ceased soon after, leaving the hallway in a comfortable silence.


	9. Normal

**First off, super sorry for the late chapter! (Months off schedule) XD Just couldn't seem to pick up the story from where I left off, but now that I've had waaaay too long to think, I know where I'm going! I'm going to try and make chapters longer, and although I can't promise they'll be fore frequent, I'm going to come up with an upload schedule. This chapter would be out sooner, but I had a sudden idea and deleted a lot of it! XD Love you guys! Annie is a character whose head is hard to get into. I love writing Hange, too. She's just an amazing character with so many different moods to try and capture with words. Insane, upset, excited, angry, and my favorite mood of hers is scary Hange. We need more of scary Hange to give use chills, and I hope I've done her right.**

 **I'm not too happy with this chapter... but Im anxious to post, so, here! *throws*It's not too good, and not even proof read very closely. Sorry. XD  
**

 **Hitch is another one of my fav characters. We don't get to see much of her in the manga or anime, but I love her all the same, even though she can be so mean! Mikasa is another one of those characters that give me trouble, but all together, I love working hard to get them down in writing. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and, once again, sorry for the incredible long wait. If it makes anyone feel better, I am super guilty!**

 **…. Also, things gonna happen next chapter, which I am almost done with.**

 **Oh, and to make this clear, the only ship in this story is Ymir and Krista XD Trying to stay as canon as I can!**

Hitch would not stop talking, and Annie was trying to think. Some days, it was a good thing; it provided a distraction from the endless, mind-numbingly bored hours that passed down here, days bleeding into one another, and Hitch occasionally shared some useful information, but it was mostly useless jabber about nothing important, worthless gossip. She had considered that some of the information Hitch said could be a ploy by the Commander to misinform her, but Annie doubted Hitch would be able to play along with that.

Annie had put together that there were two teams of every soldier in the castle, for day and night operations, and usually it was Mikasa or some other soldier she didn't know on guard duty, and when most were out on business, it was Hitch who stood guard. Occasionally, someone she knew, but not often. 8 hours. A full 7 of them full of Hitch's voice, and only in the last hour or so would she shut up. Since she could remember, there had been one goal in her life- complete the mission and return home. It had been drilled into her head, over and over and over again, and part of her was still scheming, looking for a way to succeed, but there were too many variables. Her success had to be clear cut or there was no going for it.

Annie remembered that day, the one right before she would set off outside the walls and capture Eren Jaeger. The thought of more blood on her hands had stuck with her the entire day, but there was always that childish thought… that when she succeeded, every single thing she'd done would just… go away. Not be fixed, just… disappear. She wouldn't be the one who committed those crimes, no, just a person looking in from somewhere else, looking in and feeling nothing. And then there was her father. He'd be proud of her, welcome her home. When everything was over… all would be fine.

Marco. Why was he coming to her mind right now? Reiner had accused her of forming an attachment to the human race, but he had been wrong. Marco was… had been just another human. With silly dreams and ridiculous ambitions to make the world better when in a few years, there would be no more of their world. She had just ended his life sooner… but it wasn't that. Marco was different from the countless others she'd killed, because she knew him. Just like she had known Mina, and only when Annie had stared at their bodies did she realize the cost of this mission. Marco wasn't faceless like everyone else, but that would be the only time she would ever apologize.

Annie had been warned before even entering the walls to not make connections, but part of her had never really believed it would be this hard. Then she found out she realized that this walled world was so messed up, and it was messing her up. Even now, she was no better that anyone. A failed warrior was just as defective as any human.

And there was the fact that, perhaps, there was no where to go anymore if she decided to continue the mission. She was alone it it, too. No matter how she looked at it, there was no way he could succeed as of now or any way in the future.

Annie knew how stupid it was to entertain the idea. She had failed twice already. She was smarter than this, but that part of her that still thought this way saw it as a small break from her unbreaking, stony silence.

Annie would just have to bid her time and wait for any scrap of information. Meanwhile-

"... and then there's Marlowe. Walls, you should see him! He's practically in heaven here, giving commands and actually doing something. I'm amazed he got this many MPs to join him out here. He's got his own squad, can you believe it? Anyway…"

She would _not_ shut up.

Then, as if Hitch had heard Annie's silent complaint, she stopped talking. Silence, finally.

A pair of olive eyes right there.

Annie raised hers to meet Hitch's.

"You look horrible."

It was unexpected, but Annie didn't show a reaction.

"With your hair down like that, you look like a beast. It's worse than your usual sleeping face," Hitch continued, uninterrupted. She started to pace. "I've always said, always said you should do something with it, but not this. Honestly, you look terrifying.'

Annie proved her point with a glare, not bothering to say anything.

"Before, it was usually a mess. I mean, whenever you got up in the morning, but now, I almost wish you'd put it in that lame, half-hearted bun."

Annie waited for Hitch to finish, knowing she would eventually, but her rant was relentless. Why was she treating this like nothing had even happened? Like she wasn't guarding the cell of a mass murderer?

"It just looks awful. The hoodie is bad enough, oh, and where is my thank you for bringing it? I can literally count on one hand, _on one hand_ , the times I've seen you without it. That may be slightly exaggerated, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters is how bad you look right now. I've never…"

Annie tuned her out, though Hitch's voice was still present, the annoying buzz of a mosquito. She might have missed tying her hair back, but it was a frivolous request to make, and she still had pride. She didn't feel like herself anymore.

The sound of footsteps, soft clinking. Good, she was leaving. And then the door clicked open, and her head shot up. Her icy eyes focused on Hitch, who had just entered the room, not bothering to close the door. She walked in and slid the rifle off her shoulder, leaning it against the foot of the bed. Hitch sat down on the mattress, the patted next to her.

"Come on."

Annie stared at her for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "You're so bad at your job… You're supposed to be this close to me."

Hitch shrugged and folded her arms behind her head. "Since when have I, of all people, cared about my job." She beckoned Annie closer. "C'mere and let me do your hair."

"I could take your rifle, kill you, and escape," Annie said calmly.

"Let me do your hair, first, then," Hitch responded, nonchalant.

She wasn't going to leave, that much was obvious. Someone being those close to her was not something Annie enjoyed or wanted. She sighed and got up, perching right at the end of her bed. Paying no attention to Hitch, she picked up the rifle, her hands sliding along the polished wood. It was covered in nicks and scratches, nothing like the MP issues, which were rarely used at all. She rested her finger on the trigger, feelings the cool metal there and looking at her wrapped reflected in the dull metal. For one incredibly long second, she pictured herself whirling around and slamming the butt of the rifle into Hitch's jaw, then shooting- the door was open- but then it was over. She was smarter than that.

"Really going to let me hold this?"

"Sure, keep it as a security blanket if you need to," Hitch said, then giggled. "I won't judge."

"It's not even loaded," Annie said scoffed exasperatedly, setting it aside. She crossed her arms, then looked down at the floor as Hitch dropped her satchel. A comb ran through her hair.

"You were prepared for this." That somehow annoyed her more than anything Hitch had done. So far.

"Of course," Hitch snorted. "I wasn't taking no for an answer." Self satisfaction dripped from her voice. That trademark, smug complacency was always there, no matter the situation.

It was quiet for a few minutes, infuriatingly so, because she was this close to another human being, doing something so normal… she reached back and grasped Hitch's wrist, provoking a small gasp.

Annie turned her head halfway, and there was an intense look in her piercing eyes. "Stop."

Hitch froze, fear flashing in her eyes, and that confirmed it. This overly natural attitude of hers was her way of dealing with what Annie turned out to be.

"I'll finish it myself."

"A-"

"I don't want you to," Annie said, releasing Hitch's wrist. It only took her seconds to finish tying up her hair. "It's fine now." _You stay out there, I stay in here. It's easier.  
_

Hitch sensed the sudden change in mood, and she got up swiftly. "... Alright, I get it." She picked up the rifle and her satchel, then walked out, making sure to lock the door.

Guilt was not an emotion Annie enjoyed feeling.

 **0-o-0**

The Female Titan had ruined countless families, murdered people whose names she had never even heard. Hange realized that it would be easier to continue to see Annie as the Female Titan, beaten and simply a tool at her disposal, but despite years of being surrounded by death, there would always be a human side to her. A need to know everything, and there was no way Hange could file Annie away in that category. Titan. Enemy. She was obviously so much more, just like those who died on the battlefield were so much more than just soldiers.

The thought that the Female Titan could no longer be labeled as just that had kept Hange up for the past two days. She could function normally when needed, but whenever there was a spare moment, any time when there was nothing that required her attention, the Squad Leader's thoughts returned to Annie and what she knew about her, only from Shadis' reports and those she knew during trainee days. Hitch and Marlowe didn't have much to say.

From her own interactions with the Female Titan, Hange knew that Annie still had a small bit of pride she kept hidden, as well as a timeless determination to whatever she focused on, but she was still smart enough to know when to run from an impossible fight.

These thoughts wouldn't let her rest, and Hange had attempted to lose herself in the false euphoria of alcohol.

She stumbled down the first flight of stairs before she remembered how to navigate them. Down, down, down, that's what her mind told her to do. Down, down, down, to the beast in the basement. To slay it. Her breath echoed harshly as she continued brushed a hand along the rough stone, marking her skin. The rational part of her mind was completely gone, replaced by a dangerous cocktail of misery, insanity, and anger. She was unstable, teetering on the edge of the severe emotions. Her movements were jerky, her body swaying from side to side as she lurched down the stairs. She was messed up, she could tell, but did nothing about it.

 **0-o-0**

Annie lifted her head from the pillow, awaking from the light sleep immediately. She shook of the grainy, sluggish feeling of a bad rest. Something was off, she knew it. Her skin prickled, hair standing on end. She sat up, her breath barely audible. It was like the darkness was loud. Too loud. The suffocating silence it produced tricked her into seeing shades of colors in the air, nauseating feeling. The only comforting darkness was natural, night. Not this tight, endless black.

Annie could fee her heartbeat quicken. What had woken her? She strained to hear a sound, any sound, and there it was. A clicking sound, faint, but getting louder. She recognized it as boots on stone. The frequency of the sound was uneven.

 _Step, step…. Step…. Step… step step…. Step step…step… step…_

Something told her she should be scared as whoever was coming reached the bottom of the steps. There was a pause. Complete silent. A thump of someone's fist on their chest.

"Squad Lead-"

"Get out."

The second voice was raspy and uneven. Unstable. It shook slightly, but Annie knew who it was immediately. The torch light from outside flickered. Annie listened breathlessly, the tone of that voice making her senses go on high alert.

"Excuse me? I-"

"Out. Go."

"... "

"Get out."

"I can't do that, Squad Leader. I'm on duty."

"This is an order. Get out. GET OUT."

Heavy breathing. The sound of someone walking away, footsteps fading upward. Nothing moved. Annie stared at the door.

The torch outside suddenly flared up and then dimmed down, it's light now considerably dimmer. It barely reached inside Annie's cell. The loud breathing outside gradually slowed to soft breaths, then the sound of fabric sliding against stone. Then, a low, mournful voice. Chilling.

"They saw you do it, but they didn't feel it."

 **0-o-0**

Hange sunk to her knees, leaning against the wall. She spoke, then fell silent, gathering her words. "Sometimes I hate them, you know? Thew new ones. They saw you smash those soldiers left in right, scared of the blood, the fact that it might happen to them, but not saddened by it. Saddened by the betrayal, oh yeah, they were, about that, but nothing else. They saw it, but they didn't feel it.

"Did you know? That's useless asking, but I have to. Did you know? That they had families? Hopes, dreams, ambitions? They looked at the sun and slept under the moon like you and I." She was rambling now, rambling on and on and on, like she would never stop. These were her middle-of-the-night thoughts. The ones that crawled around her room and crept into her ears and nestled in her head.

"They tasted and saw and heard and breathed and remembered and touched and felt. And you knew. You knew, you knew. And you knew…"

For a second, it sounded as if her voice was going to crack, but it rose and then fell back to that low, dark tone.

"I hate you so much. It's almost unbearable…" Her voice sank to a whisper, finally breaking, "but, you know, it's hard to hate someone for a long time. I did it, though." She laughed, a chuckle that was so full of actual mirth, so unfitting for the situation, that Annie almost shivered.

She lifted her head, her glasses flashing. "I did it…." Again, there was quiet. It stretched on for a long time, for the next minute, then another, and another.

"Most of us, we all want the same thing, life, but it's the million other little goals that suffocate it. What type of life, though? We all want the impossible, all of his fighting right now, so, in the end, we're all going to settle for the next best thing, that life we want for someone else.

"Erwin, he's a military man. What would he do when all of this is over? Garden? It's go big, or go home. For all of us. Sure, the Survey Corp will be needed when all's said and one. Clear out the rest of those beasts and find out what's really out there…. But we'll all be dead before it happens. If it happens." She sighed.

"Hey, can you even hear me? You listening? You say you want to survive, so you'll fight for us? But is that a bit of guilt I sense? Huh, feeling bad for once? That why you're really going to help us?" Hange's heart had started to quicken, her voice growing louder. "Do you even know what guilt is? Listen to me." Hange stood suddenly, slamming a fist against the wall. A wave of fury swept over her, so powerful it sent her stumbling forward. "I've been fighting for humanity for half my life now, and then you waltz in and set us back years, you bitch. It's all a mess now, everything's a mess. You made ** _me_** into a mess, and now you're messing me up even more."

Her words now held a malicious tone. Murderous. Someone had flipped a switch, lit the match and dropped it to her fuse. She swept her arm to the side, knocking the torch from its stand. It rolled a few feet away, almost flickering out.

The door to Annie's cell banged open, the wood smashing into stone. Cooling embers scattered at Hange's feet, her form filling the doorway. She tilted her head to the side, her glasses reflecting the small amount of light, small red flames instead of eyes.

Hange's hand left the door knob as she slowly walked into the room, boots softly clicking in the near darkness. She slammed it shut behind her.

Quietly, Annie stood in the back corner of the room, shrouded in darkness. Her eyes were focused sharply on the large shadow that crept into the room, bringing the scent of liquor. She watched Hange sway from side to side, knowing that she wouldn't be able to defend herself with this little strength.

And then Hange was upon her, a rough hand closing around her throat and slamming her into the wall, knocking the breath out of her lungs. Hange tightened her hand around Annie's neck, leaning close. Their faces were inches apart.

"Gonna take you apart finally, Female Titan. Remember what I promised all those months ago? I had you pinned, just like this, and I could see fear in your eyes, just like I can sense it now." She laughed, voice full of dark mirth, and tilted her head from side to side. "Gonna do it with my bare hands and gonna be nice and thorough."

"You're too smart for this," Annie said, staring at Hange. From what little light there was, she could make out the shine of her glasses. Her voice was cool, analytical. "I'm more use to you now than I ever was-"

With her other hand, Hange grabbed a handful of Annie's hair and wrenched her head back, squeezing harder. Harder. Hange could hear her gasping for breath now, the sound sending a shiver through her body. It was too dark to enjoy the sight of her enemy completely helpless, but Hange could feel it, the beating of Annie's jugular vein, hot breath on her face, cold hands pulling at hers.

Annie's vision darkened, her hand fell. Hange's voice started to fade away, her iron grip only getting stronger. Her last breaths would be silent; any call for help would be useless.

"How low you've fallen," Hange breathed. "Going to die like this, now, and I'm going to rip apart your body and find whatever it is that seperates you from me. Alone, quiet, barely even put up a fight, not like last time. Everyone who thinks we can trust you is a fool." She started to shout again, her voice hoarse. "A monster like you can't do anything but destroy. Destroy. ** _DESTROY!_** " Hange was roaring by now, and she choked on her words, a sob racking her body. Her chest was heaving. She cut it off, fury burning in her eyes. Her voice shook.

"But it's over now. Y-"

She was suddenly torn away, leaving Annie to slump to the ground, hands scrabbling at her throat a she gasped for breath. There was a sudden flare of light, so bright and unexpected that it burned her eyes, but she didn't close them, focusing on the scene in front of her.

There was a smaller, darker form, whirling into the room in a flash of black and green, a hand grasping the front of Hange's shirt and throwing her to the side.

"What the hell are you doing, shitty-glasses?"

He was furious.

Levi paid no attention to the girl slumped in the corner, glaring down at Hange, her wild eyes rolling around the room and then locking onto him. She looked terrifying, and for a second, it looked like she was going to attack him.

"Get out," Hange snarled, getting to her feet. There was a scrape on her cheek, darkening into a bruise. She was panting.

"Have you been fucking drinking? Upstairs, now," Levi growled, his voice full of cold fury and obvious disgust.

"No! I want that monster dead! You were there, you saw everything!" Hange screamed. Her breath was ragged.

"This is you out of your mind," Levi said, his voice even. "You're smarter than this. You're going to go upstairs and calm down. Now." His voice was firm, leaving no room, for argument. He pointed to the door, then spared a quick glance at Annie to see if she was alive.

Confirming this, he waited for Hange to stagger out of the room, then followed her.

"You've got to stop this," Annie could hear him say. "Get things straightened out in your head before you really go insane. None of us can afford a breakdown now." He slammed the door shut behind him. "Afterwords... that's a different story."


	10. False

**Yay, stuff actually happens in this chapter, and the next one too! XD Thank you for all the lovely reviews for the last chapter. The new chapter of AoT/SnK has forced me to change some things in this fanfic, so it's out a bit later. I'm making several assumptions in my fanfic that may or may not be true. I can only confirm things is if ask Isayama-san himself, which isn't happening! The first event in this chapter take place directly after the last. I hope you all enjoy.**

"Where are you going to make me go?" Hange asked, her voice calm. A deadly tone for someone like her.

"I'm taking you to your room," Levi replied, his voice matching hers.

An even tone was not a good sign for either of them.

"Going to lecture me?" Her voice took on a cynical, taunting tone.

"That's not what you need right now" Levi said, keeping an iron grip on her shoulder as he walked Hange briskly to her room.

"It kills me everyday… a bit at a time," Hange hissed. "To see her unpunished. To see her without pain. She doesn't know how much it hurts, this burden." She let out a frustrated, strangled noise. It was somewhere between a sob and howl.

"Damnit! I can't stand being… that close… without… she killed- It's torture-" She clutched her chest, feeling a horrible pain there, and there was such an expression of anguish in her eyes that Levi's face softened.

"I know," he said quietly, stopping in front of her door. "I know, but even though it's hard, there is so much at stake here. Everything you've worked for can succeed if you just hold on. Hold on-"

Hange didn't care who heard her or how she looked, tears streaming from her red eyes, hair a mess and hand curled into claws. Her voice, it was ugly and raw. She screamed at him now. "I can't hold on! You don't know… I never saw you cry! I never saw you do anything but play lapdog to Erwin! You should be the one hurting her! You should be the one shouting and hurting, but you aren't!"

She paused, breath ragged, chest heaving. Her eyes were wide and burning with a savage, crazy light. It was quiet for a moment, and then Hange spoke again, her voice suddenly cool and low.

"Expressionless, apathetic, unfeeling… Y-you're... _**You're just like her.**_ "

And then Levi did show a reaction, his eyes glittering like black diamonds with a sudden icy anger, his expression a storm about to break.

Through her tears and anger, Hange knew she had made a mistake, and regret flowed instantly through her. She stumbled back a few steps, her back meeting the wall as he advanced, closing the distance in between them in a second with two long strides.

"L-Levi- I didn't mean-I-I'm sorry-"

Her hands were splayed against the rough stone as she cowered, Levi looming over her. His expression was one of cold fury, but beneath that, a horrible, horrible pain that he had spent so much strength trying to hide.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ compare me to her," he said, his voice low.

It was silent for a minute, the seconds ticked by. Levi's eyes never left Hange's, and he spoke again. "I could never let my emotions destroy me like you've let yours do to you. You're a mess right now. She hurt me too… more than I can bear to think about." He wrenched open the door to her room. "You're going to stay in here until you either find a way to control yourself and keep your emotions in check… or you're not coming out at all. Tear it up, scream, rage, cry all you want, but I expect you to pull yourself together by morning. Like it or not, we're working with the enemy. This is the last time I keep your lack of mental stability a secret."

Levi glared down at her, and Hange nodded, her brown eyes filled with defeat now. Keeping her back to the wall, she walked to her door and then slipped inside the room.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said solemnly, then closed the door and locked it, his eyes boring into the back of a woman slowly being consumed by her own emotions. As he walked away, slipping the key to his pocket, Levi shook his head. She was either going to push her emotions aside or push them down. Hopefully, she would make the right choice.

 **0-o-0**

Mikasa frowned; it was too quiet. She shifted the rifle that rested against her shoulder, her 3Dgear breaking the silence with metal against metal. She had been down here for about four hours, her shift increased by six hours now that most soldiers were away from the base. It was late at night, most operations now carried out under darkness to make things easier. It had been Armin who'd suggested the idea, and it had worked.

A small group had been sent to the walls to gather supplies, gas for their gear, new blades, and other miscellaneous items that they couldn't make by themselves. It helped having at least one powerful person on their side inside the walls, Reeves, or something like that, a company deemed important enough to survive in the central walls. When the time came, they would be an even more important asset in fighting from the inside.

Most other soldiers spent the night and day setting more traps to catch titans and clearing out the area. Civilian recruits, a large portion of them from the Underground, were either drilling, veterans trying to form them into soldiers, or trying to coax crops from any available space on the forest floor. So far, the attempts at farming had limited success, but, slowly, they were making progress. Only a few in their entire operation had been killed since Armin had come up with the strategy.

Back to the fact that the silence was too heavy. Usually, she and Annie would be having some type of conversation, but lately, that seemed to trickle off into a perpetual silence. Down here, the lowest level in the castle, her sense of time was warped. There was a feeling of isolation, being cut off from everyone else. They could have been the only two alive in the entire world, but Mikasa knew that if she leaned her head against the wall, she could feel the vibrations of life though the cold stone. Raised voices and footsteps, carried down here until they were almost too faint to sense. Every sound was magnified to her, as if her entire body was straining to hear any noise at all. To some, the quietness was maddening, and most other soldiers would guard the Female Titan in pairs, playing cards or talking. With their prisoner so silent, it was easy to forget about her,

But not to Mikasa. The presence of Annie was always at the back of her head, a heaviness that pricked her every thought. She could hear every slight breath, brush of skin, and whisper of sheets. Yet, every time Annie began to speak, it caught her off guard; she could not hear the slight intake of breath that came before someone started to talk. Her voice came out of nowhere, starting the faceless conversations that peppered her shift.

She had the ability to stay so quiet, Mikasa would occasionally look in through the bars to see if Annie was still there. And every time she did so, those blue eyes would be boring right into hers, smirking even though her mouth didn't, amused at the fact that Mikasa had to reassure herself. They said, _What's the problem? Worried about me or something?_

One time, she even commented about it, picking up on how it irked Mikasa. "Honestly, I'm touched. Am I really that important?" The question came after Mikasa had subtly leaned forward to catch a glimpse of Annie. There was that icy gaze. Did she do anything but stare at the door, in the same position every time. It was like she somehow knew when Mikasa's resolve would break. That was the one question Mikasa didn't respond to.

I was like Annie somehow knew it irked Mikasa to see her sitting there and waiting. She was expecting her, and here was a slight aura of self-satisfaction around her.

Today, however, neither of them had said a word. There hadn't been a single sound from that room. Mikasa sighed internally and stepped away from the wall to check if Annie was where she was supposed to be.

She seemed to be sleeping, but immediately, Mikasa could tell that something was off. Annie was not waiting for her. She was lying down, not moving. Too still and too pale. She couldn't spot the rise and fall of Annie's chest.

Mikasa frowned again and unlocked the door, stepping inside. Worry pricked at the back of her headñ Annie didn't stir at the clink jangle of keys and scraping of metal. She still didn't move as Mikasa approached her bedside and looked down at the Female Titan. There was no slight, telltale pulse on the side of her neck, but it seemed… too intimate to check for one.

Mikasa brushed the feeling of unease aside and picked up Annie´s wrist, her hand easily fitting around it. There was a pulse, faint and slow. Something was definitely wrong. Mikasa dropped Annie's limp hand and turned on her foot, unsure if this was a facade. She exited the small room and locked the door behind her, standing right near it. She would wait for the next soldier to relive, and send him to fetch Hange.

 **0-o-0**

Six hours later, Mikasa could hear the clank of 3Dgear and soft footsteps. Someone walking down the stairs. She stepped away from the wall and stood at the bottom, waiting for whoever was coming. Nanaba came into view.

Before she reached the end of the steps, Mikasa spoke. "I need you to get Squad Leader Hange. Tell her come down immediately, but don't panic. Act normal." Her voice was low and solemn, her eyes serious.

The soldier regarded her for a moment, but Mikasa's reputation was well known among the Survey Corp, and with a moment's hesitation, she turned and marched hurriedly up the stairs.

 **0-o-0**

Hange watched as the soldier entered the room, quietly making her way around the table and ignoring the strange looks at her interruption.

"What is it, Nanaba," she murmured, locking eyes with Erwin.

"Ackerman asked me to get you. She seemed pretty serious," Nanaba muttered. "She didn't say anything about what it was, but she's currently on guard duty-"

Hange pushed her chair back and stood, her face stoney. "Continue, everyone," she said. "I'll be back."

She beckoned Nanaba after her and strode purposefully to the door, not letting her worry show until she was out of the meeting room. With the base half deserted, Hange broke into a run, her boots pounding solidly on the stone floor, her face hard.

Mikasa stepped aside as Hange reached the bottom of the steps. "Ackerman, what is it?" she asked, turning to the soldier.

"The Female Titan, Squad Leader," Mikasa said, saluting her superior. She nodded her head at the door. "She looks… weaker. In some type of comatose state. She won't respond."

"Unlock the door. Wait out here, both of you."

Mikasa stepped forward and did as the Squad Leader ordered and stepped aside, watching as Hange brushed past her and into the room.

"Wait, Squad Leader- take this," Nanaba said, holding her rifle out.

Hange paused, looking back at the gun. She tilted her head to one side, remembering yesterday, when she had made a visit down here to see what questions Annie would answer… a day after she had lost it. A shiver ran through her body at the memory of being completely and utterly out of control. And it was the Female Titan's fault.

Internally, Hange sighed, knowing that she would have to keep herself in check. Her hands shook for a moment, but she steadied them, reflecting on the way Annie had crossed her arms and stood against the wall to avoid sitting or lying down, compromising positions. Her eyes had been narrowed in weariness and not boredom. Hange remembered how those blue orbs had followed her every movement, flicking sharply from her hands to face every time she made a gesture, expecting at any moment for the woman at the other end of the room to attack.

Hange remembered a flash of satisfaction, pride, even, at the fact that Annie was afraid of her. No shame in what she had done, but anger in the fact that Levi had been right behind her. Like a handler. A guard.

"No, I don't think I'll be needing it," she responded to Nanaba, waving her hand dismissively. Her glasses flashed momentarily, and she crossed her arms, then she turned and entered the dark room. Her boots clicked on the stone floor as she made her way over to Annie, peering down at the Female Titan.

"Leanhardt," she said curtly, and received no answer. She thought for a moment and uncrossed her arms, laying one hand on Annie's shoulder. She shook it briefly, but this didn't provoke any response. Her body was limp. A check for her pulse revealed a slow heartbeat.

 _What is this… ? Could it be a trick?_

"Nanaba, on second thought, could I see your rifle?" Hange asked, not looking away from Annie as she held her arm out.

"Yes, ma'am," Nanaba responded, placing the firearm in Hange's outstretched hand.

"Thanks," Hange said. She allowed herself a small grin, but it shrunk quickly, her expression growing cold like her voice. "I assume it's loaded... ?"

"Yes, but-"

"Great." Hange pointed the gun straight up at the ceiling, placed once and over her ear, and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger. A sharp crack rang out, making every person's ears ring. Hange winced with the pain in her head, momentarily stunned, as were Mikasa and Nanaba. There was no movement for a few seconds, pieces of stone and dust raining from the ceiling.

"Squad Leader!"

Nanaba was the first to recover, then Mikasa, dashing into the room, the former grabbing Hange's shoulder.

Hange shrugged her hand off, roughly pushing the soldier away. "Relax," she said coolly, "I didn't shoot her." She tossed the rifle to Nanaba, crossing her arms.

"Squad Leader… I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Mikasa said, her voice even. Levi had told her what had happened, and she didn't want to get into a fight with such a highly skilled soldier.

"I'll leave when I'm done here," Hange responded, her eyes locked on Annie. She made her way back to the Female Titan's bedside scrutinizing the small form there closely for any change.

She hadn't moved an inch, showing no reaction to a gunshot at such close quarters.

"I'm going to notify Erwin," Hange said, straightening up. She turned and walked to the doorway. "Nanaba, Ackerman, stay here and keep close watch. I'll need to run some tests when I have permission… orders to restrain and injure if needed."

Hange locked eyes with both of them , receiving a nod of affirmation.

"Good," she said, brushing past Nanaba and too the stairs. "I'll be back."

 **0-o-0**

Eight hours later, and there had been no change with Annie. Erwin had ordered there to be double the soldiers on guard. Gelgar and a brunette soldier with olive eyes were now standing at attention outside, both looking intently at the door. They were unnecessarily tense.

The commander had also given Hange permission to run a few small tests, but their results had revealed nothing about Annie's condition.

"Hey."

She spun around on the heel of her boot, eyes locked on the end of the room where Annie was. The only light came from torches outside, and with Mikasa and Nanaba blocking the doorway, the back end of the room was covered in shadows. She could barely see Annie, and every muscle in her body was taut, waiting.

"What?"

"I need to go outside," Annie said, her voice dead serious. It was flat, more so than usual; there was an undertone of tiredness. It was also deeper, the voice of who had just woken up from a heavy sleep. There was a small clicking sound, rustling, and the oil lamp flickered on, the small flame lighting the captive.

There were those blue eyes, their shine dulled.

"... What do you mean by that?" Hange asked, her eyes wandering over Annie's face, judging her expression. The oil lamp embellished the shadows there.

"You observed what happens to titans at night from your studies with those two titans," Annie said. "You also tried to lure me underground, so you know what happens." _Not to mention… that my time could be sped up as I grow weaker. How much time do I have, now?_

Hange nodded. She began to see where this was going. "You need the sun, or rather, it's light. For energy?"

"I don't know, but it's clear that my strength is failing. I need to be strong enough if you want me to use my powers to help you, and while I don't know if I truly need it or not…" She stopped talking, knowing that Hange could easily connect the dots.

From Hange knew about Annie, acting weak was not something she would do around another person, especially someone like Hange. Admitting a weakness right to her face was severely out of character for Annie, and Hange could see that this was serious.

"I'll speak to Erwin," she said, her tone hardening. She repressed a sneer. Even doing this, something that was necessary for their plan to retake the interior, disgusted her. Helping the Female Titan… it felt like a betrayal to the dead.

 _Don't think about it, don't think about it,_ she thought, loosening her hands from tight fists. _You can't afford to be unstable right now. Think cold, think unfeeling… distance yourself from her._

But she couldn't do it. Her emotions were strong, burning in her. Hange turned on her heel, almost too quickly. "I'll request a meeting immediately." Her voice was cruel, clipped too short. It was bad that she entertained the idea of holding this over Annie's head, to make her beg for it. She enjoyed the thought for a moment. She shook her head to banish the idea, already walking out the door and closing it behind her.

"Thanks."

The voice was so serious it seemed sarcastic. Was it? So quiet, but deliberately strong, just loud enough to be heard.

Hange paused, looking through the bars. Annie was back to lying down, her eyes closed, face pale, and hair spread around her head. There was that steady, slight, slow rise and fall of her chest. Like nothing had changed.

Hange ran a hand through her hair, her hand still resting on the door's handle. She stood there for a moment too long, considering what to say, wondering if that was real gratitude in that short word. In the end, she said nothing at all, her only response footsteps slowly clicking on the stone, gradually growing faint until there was silence.


End file.
